Michigan Capitol implements new AI tech to detect guns
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - An artificial intelligence that can identify guns is being implemented on the Michigan Capitol grounds.
It's called ZeroEyes, and it analyzes surveillance footage from existing cameras. It's meant to be an additional layer of security improvements for the state Capitol.
"If someone pulls a gun out in front of one of those cameras, an alert will be sent from that location to our in-house monitoring center," said Sam Alaimo, co-founder of ZeroEyes.
At that center, a human reviews what the software has flagged as a firearm and sends an alert.
"And then that analyst will dispatch that alert to the client and whoever the client designates so we can have it sent to the client on-site," Alaimo said. "Law enforcement 911 dispatch supervisors, etc."
The Capitol dealt with at least a couple of situations in the last few years of demonstrators bringing firearms into the Capitol and even into the legislative chambers. The security changes come after the Michigan Capitol Commission voted unanimously in 2021 to ban open carry inside the building.
"The software is unique in that it's just identifying the gun. If we had strapped that gun to the back of a golden retriever, it would get an alert on the gun. It doesn't matter who's carrying it," Alaimo said.
Members of the commission were not available on Monday for interviews about the new tech.