AI Gun Control - Innovation for Less Gun Violence

Amogh from Grade 12 has been working on an Artificial Intelligence (AI) device for controlling guns since Grade 10. Currently living in the United States, Amogh has realised that gun violence has been a major issue in the country for several decades. To reduce violence and death associated with guns, but without infringing on the constitutional right to bear arms, he decided to do something about it – a story that has been featured in several media outlets in the USA. We reached out to Amogh to find out more about his invention and what his hope is for the future.

Being a high schooler, seeing school shootings in the news struck fear in me – Amogh, Grade 12

While gun violence has been a major issue in the United States for decades, the problem may have become worse in more recent times due to the divide in the country between different communities. “The reason why this problem has not been solved is due to the right to bear arms, which many people have abused”, says Amogh, who came up with his idea as a way to reduce gun violence, but without compromising people’s right to bear arms – an issue that is highly political and sensitive.

Amogh’s AI device monitors the surrounding of the person bearing the gun, and especially where and who the gun is pointed at. The information is collected by a camera and fed into a microprocessor which uses AI computer vision to determine whether or not the gun bearer is facing an immanent danger. “The gun is only unlocked when there is a threat present and is locked otherwise”, says Amogh and explains that this will only allow people to use guns for self-defence and preventing unnecessary shootings.

The prototype produced is still at the prototype stage. “After hundreds of hours of planning and persistent iterative implementation, especially when things did not go as planned, I am happy to see progress in my work”, says Amogh, who hopes that with further improvements the device can become very accurate, fool-proof and tamper-resistant. But it does not stop there. “In the future, I would like to have this technology implemented in real guns and possibly mandated by law”, who now understands that the technology involved can be used for good or bad. “It is up to us to choose between constructive progress or mutually assured destruction.”

To watch a three minute report on Amogh’s project, visit ABC Action News.