The Alamance-Burlington School System is exploring AI technology to enhance school security by monitoring cameras for potential threats. No decision has been made.
BURLINGTON, N.C. — The Alamance-Burlington School System is exploring whether artificial intelligence could help spot potential safety threats before someone has to go back and review security camera footage.
ABSS board members and staff got a closer look Tuesday, Sept. 8, at technology from Atos that could monitor school security cameras and alert staff when it detects a potential problem.
But school officials stress — no decision has been made yet.
The system is designed to look for visible weapons, smoke or fire, potential perimeter breaches, and even when someone falls and gets hurt.
“We’re just providing the eyes on the cameras versus looking at something after it happened,” an Atos representative told the board.
If the system detects something, it can alert designated staff, who would then review what happened and decide how to respond.
Atos stressed the AI would not make those decisions itself.
“We don’t want the system making decisions on what to do,” one representative said. “We just want to let you know that there is something that you may need to make a decision on.”
Board members also learned the technology has limitations – for example, the system can’t detect a gun until it becomes visible on camera.
“If you as a human can’t see something yet, it can’t see something yet,” an Atos representative explained.
Privacy was also a major topic. Atos representatives addressed those concerns.
“We’re not doing any facial recognition. We’re not doing any profiling or routine tracking,” a representative said. “We’re only looking for specific events.”
The company also said it does not use students’ video to train its AI models.
“We don’t train on your kids’ data,” a representative said.
The discussion comes as ABSS considers a potential state-funded pilot program. The district could use $3.5 million in state grant funding to bring the technology to its schools, but officials are still asking questions about the process and what the program could cost in the future once that grant money runs out.
The technology would also rely on camera coverage. ABSS already has cameras at some schools, but not all, meaning the district would need to determine what additional equipment or funding may be needed if it moves forward with a districtwide pilot.
Davidson County Schools is currently the only school district in North Carolina using the Atos technology through the state-funded pilot. ABSS leaders were able to see how the system is being used there as they continue gathering information.
For now, ABSS has not approved a contract with Atos, and there is no timeline for a final decision.
