MCPS Introduces VOLT AI

After the shooting at Wooton High School, MCPS (Montgomery County Public Schools) announced that it would pilot a new AI detection software in the cameras at Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Zadok Magruder, and Seneca Valley high schools. They went with VOLT AI, a company specializing in applying AI to security cameras, to detect and stop threats and weapons.

In 2019, VOLT AI was founded by Egor Olteanu and Dmitry Sokolowski with the hope of increasing public safety and making the world a safer place, as stated on VOLT AI’s official website through its founding vision page. They initially got the idea to create the AI software after witnessing a shooting at YouTube headquarters in April 2018. They were able to create a real-time video intelligence system that would detect violence because Sokolowski studies computer science at the University of Maryland, and Olteanu joined Google’s Research and Development department, called Google X, in 2011.

The AI software they developed is designed to detect violent altercations, such as fights, medical emergencies, and weapons that could have been smuggled onto campus. The founders programmed the AI this way because they designed it for use in schools and other campus settings. This software is one that has to be installed in an already existing camera system, lowering the cost that buyers would have to pay since they’re avoiding the cost of extra materials and camera replacements. Though people using the pilot system don’t have to pay anything unless they intend to buy the full software.

But just because it’s a software that gets installed into cameras, it doesn’t mean that it can scan a student’s bag for a weapon. When talking to WTOP, Sokolowski says, “The weapon has to be visible,” for the AI to send an alert that a weapon is on campus in the first place. The AI also doesn’t have any facial recognition software to go along with the weapon detection. The programmers took the safety and privacy of students into account when creating the AI, only focusing on detecting weapons and dangerous behavior to report.

VOLT AI has been in use in Loudoun County’s schools in Virginia, as they signed a five-year contract with them. But the system is in use in 28 states overall. The way it works is that no one is watching the cameras until the AI detects a situation. Afterwards, a human reviews the situation and establishes the context before deciding what to do next. The AI system also alerts the right person depending on the situation, such as a school nurse or administration. 

The company reinforces the idea that it doesn’t base its decisions on race or gender. Sokolowski stated that “We can’t even tell the part of the humans and, um, because we’re looking at the human body as a whole rather than an individual with different characteristics of the person.” The system is meant to track someone’s behavior, not anything else. The system also doesn’t use facial recognition, so it won’t be able to tell who someone is. 

The CEO also acknowledged the situation a year ago, when a 16-year-old in Baltimore County was handcuffed after his Dorito bag was mistaken for a weapon—he doesn’t believe that type of error would happen with their AI system, as there’s an actual human involved in the process.

But once the system identifies someone of interest, the system tracks them, contacts the authorities, and provides law enforcement with the suspect’s real-time location.

With everything that has been happening, enhancing our security seems like the best decision MCPS made. Working with VOLT AI, whose mission is to ensure safety, let’s see how March goes with the new pilot program!

Written by: Elisa Reyes and Cindy Marroquin