High Tech High Expands AI Gun Detection Integration
The San Diego charter network is utilizing proactive visual intelligence to secure open-concept campuses without physical barriers.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- April 24, 2026
A network of 16 charter schools is expanding its use of artificial intelligence to detect firearms on campus while maintaining an architectural focus on open, collaborative learning spaces.
High Tech High, which serves approximately 6,400 students across San Diego County, began integrating the ZeroEyes visual threat intelligence platform in late 2023. The technology layers onto existing digital security cameras to identify brandished firearms in real time.
The system operates by sending images of detected weapons to a 24-hour operations center staffed by military and law enforcement veterans. Once a threat is verified, the software dispatches alerts and visual intelligence, including gun type and location, to school officials and local police within five seconds.
Administrators noted that the technology allows the schools to remain transparent and relationship-driven. By using software-based security, the network avoids the installation of intrusive physical measures such as metal detectors or fortified entry points.
The situational awareness platform has also assisted in identifying non-lethal objects. School officials recently used the system to identify a student with a plastic water gun, allowing for a resolution before the situation escalated to a full law enforcement response.
The expansion of the program follows feedback from campus stakeholders and local emergency responders regarding the speed of the notification process and the accuracy of the visual data provided during drills and incidents.