Kansas schools will start using AI to detect whether people have guns on campus

Kansas schools are looking to bring artificial gun detecting technology into buildings ahead of the coming school year as a way to detect weapons on school property before any harm can come to children.

There are already 30 states using the technology that Kansas lawmakers are scoping out.

The state's education budget this year includes a $5 million dollar grant that schools may apply for in order to bring this technology to their campus.

In order to be implemented, the AI systems must be patented, 'designated as qualified anti-terrorism technology,' in compliance with several industry standards, and capable of detecting 'three broad firearm classifications with a minimum of 300 sub-classifications,' among other things.

ZeroEyes analyst Mario Hernandez demonstrates the use of artificial intelligence with surveillance cameras to identify visible guns at the company's operations center

The company, founded by military vets, produces AI technology meant to thwart school shootings before a trigger is squeezed

At present, there is just one company that meets the extensive list of standards - ZeroEyes, a military vet-founded firm that started up in the wake of the Parkland Shooting in Florida several years ago.

State Representative Kristey Williams, who chairs the K-12 education budget committee, said that for the sake of ongoing school safety, administrations must have 'something or someone 24/7 watching, monitoring, and detecting. The AI does that.'

'We want to ensure that when our kids go to school that there are eyes on them to protect them. That's our number one priority,' she said.

Last week, Missouri became the latest state to pass legislation geared toward ZeroEyes. The state will be offering $2.5 million in matching grants for schools to buy firearms detection software, designed specifically as 'anti-terrorism technology.'

The company uses AI with surveillance cameras to identify visible guns, then proceeds to ping an alert over to an operations center that is staffed 24/7 by former law enforcement officers and military vets.

If a threat is deemed legitimate, an alert is immediately sent to school officials and local authorities.

The goal, according to ZeroEyes co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer Sam Alaimo, is to 'get that gun before the trigger's squeezed, or before that gun gets to the door.'

Though there are many supporters of the technology, some across the country are highly skeptical of the legislative tactics being implemented to get the AI into schools.

The very, very specific bill on the Kansas Governor's desk has a requirement in it that stipulates the company must have its product in at least 30 states, which Jason Stoddard, director of school safety and security for Charles County Public Schools in Maryland, called '"probably the most egregious thing that I have ever read.'

Kansas is the most recent state to pass legislation that will lead to the implementation of ZeroEyes tech in some of its schools 

The patented, anti-terrorism technology has already been put into place at schools in 30 US states

Stoddard is chairperson of the newly launched National Council of School Safety Directors, which formed to set standards for school safety officials and push back against vendors who are increasingly pitching particular products to lawmakers.

When states allot millions of dollars for certain products, it often leaves less money for other important school safety efforts, such as electronic door locks, shatter-resistant windows, communication systems and security staff, he said.

'The artificial-intelligence-driven weapons detection is absolutely wonderful,' Stoddard said. 'But it´s probably not the priority that 95 percent of the schools in the United States need right now.'

In Florida, legislation to place ZeroEyes tech in just two counties  ran a total bill of $920,000.

Back in February, ZeroEyes' chief strategy officer conducted a presentation of the technology before the House K-12 Education Budget Committee.

The demo included the tech's AI gun detection ability as well as multiple actual surveillance photos taken by the tech of guns at schools, in parking lots, and in transportation hubs.

The technology, at present, remains expensive to purchase and implement, but dozens of states have been establishing grant funds that schools can apply for in order to access the tech 

Following the presentation, Kansas state Rep. Adam Thomas, a Republican, initially proposed to specifically name ZeroEyes in the funding legislation. The final version removed the company's name but kept the criteria that essentially limits it to ZeroEyes.

Kristey Williams, also a Republican, defended the specific selection of ZeroEyes, arguing that due to the urgency of the issue that is student safety, the state did not have the time that would be required to execute a standard bidding process.

She said in April that she did 'not feel that there was another alternative.'

The current five million dollars worth of grants will not be enough - likely by far - to cover every school in Kansas, but the amount stands to go up once people see how well the safety technology works.