Teen’s Snack Attack: AI Flags Doritos as a Gun
In a scene straight out of a dystopian thriller, a 16-year-old in New Delhi was swarmed by armed police after an AI-powered metal detector misidentified his bag of Doritos as a firearm. Rohan Mehta, the baffled teen, was leaving a convenience store when the store’s AI security system, SafeScan Pro, triggered an alarm—classifying his Cool Ranch Doritos as a “potential weapon.” Officers arrived within minutes, guns drawn, only to find a shaken teen holding a crumpled chip bag.
How Did AI Mistake Chips for a Gun?
The incident occurred at a high-end grocery store in South Delhi using SafeScan Pro, an AI security system designed to detect concealed weapons. The machine-learning algorithm allegedly confused the foil-lined interior of the Doritos bag with the metallic signature of a handgun.
Eyewitnesses described chaos as store security confronted Rohan, shouting at him to drop his “weapon.”
“I was just grabbing snacks for my friends,” Rohan told NextMinuteNews. “Suddenly, cops are yelling at me to put my hands up. I thought it was a joke.”
AI Security Failures: A Growing Problem
This isn’t AI’s first high-profile blunder:
- Facial recognition misidentifying people of color
- Chatbots spreading misinformation
- Automated systems flagging harmless items as threats
Dr. Priya Khanna, a cybersecurity expert at IIT Delhi, warns: “AI is only as smart as its training data. If it hasn’t seen enough real-world examples—like a chip bag—it can make dangerous mistakes.”
Public Backlash: #ChipsNotGuns Trends
The incident ignited outrage online, with #AIFail and #ChipsNotGuns trending on X (Twitter). Memes mocked the absurdity:
“First AI takes jobs, now it’s coming for our snacks. What’s next—banning bananas for looking like guns?”
Legal experts also raised concerns. Advocate Sanjay Verma warned: “What if the teen had panicked and run? AI glitches shouldn’t endanger lives.”
TechGuard Solutions’ Response
The makers of SafeScan Pro called the incident an “isolated anomaly” and promised a software update. However, critics noted similar errors—last month, a stainless-steel lunchbox was flagged as a “suspicious device” in Mumbai.
Should AI Handle Security Decisions?
As AI infiltrates public safety, incidents like this spark urgent debates:
✅ Pros: Faster threat detection
❌ Cons: False alarms, racial bias, lack of human judgment
Rohan just wants an apology—and maybe free Doritos for life. “I love chips, but not enough to get arrested over them,” he joked.
What do you think? Should AI make high-stakes security calls, or is human oversight essential? Let us know in the comments!
— Reporting by NextMinuteNews
