A Baltimore, Maryland, high school sports director has been alleged to have used artificial intelligence to produce a hate speech-filled voice recording in order to falsely implicate the school principal.
Dazhon Darien supposedly made the fabricated recording to undermine Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswert, who was looking into Darien's misuse of school funds. The fabricated recording caused a significant negative reaction after Darien distributed it to the school’s teachers. The recording was eventually leaked online and went viral.
Darien was arrested Baltimore County police arrested him last Thursday. He is facing charges of theft, stalking, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness, according to Fox 4 KDFW.
Robert McCullough, chief of the Baltimore County Police Department, stated that officers began investigating the fabricated recording on January 17. The recording contained a rant against black and Jewish students, created by Darien to make it seem as if the conversation took place between Eiswert and a vice principal at the school. Police indicated they were still investigating teachers at the school suspected of spreading the hate-filled message.
“It should be noted that remarks in the recording mentioned [Eiswert’s] reported frustrations with the test scores of African American students and claims that [African American students] were incapable of ‘testing their way out of a paper bag,'” charging documents said. obtained From what was reported by The Baltimore Banner.
“The recording also included derogatory remarks about Jewish individuals and two teachers who ‘should have never been hired’ at the school,” the charging documents noted.
The release of the recording prompted parents and members of the community to post hateful messages online, resulting in the district suspending the principal. The threats against the principal were so serious that a police detail was sent to his home for his protection. According to a report by the New York Post, Eiswert is expected to be reinstated. report Darien was apprehended at a Maryland Airport where he was trying to board a flight to Houston. It is unclear whether he was just traveling or attempting to escape.
AI-generated deepfake content has been a major concern in recent years. Cyber Defense Magazine
that the World Economic Forum has seen a 900% increase in deepfake videos annually. The magazine highlighted several recent instances, such as a cryptocurrency scam that utilized an AI-generated likeness of Elon Musk to defraud investors, and cybercriminals who used AI to steal $35 million from a UAE bank. reported In response to this growing threat, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) put forward the Protecting Consumers from Deceptive AI Act on March 21. This bipartisan bill would establish safeguards to prevent AI from being used to create harmful situations like the one in Baltimore.
“AI presents incredible opportunities, but that potential also carries the risk of harming credibility and trustworthiness,” Eshoo mentioned in a
. “AI-generated content has become so convincing that consumers need assistance in identifying what they’re seeing and interacting with online. Deception from AI-generated content poses a threat to our elections and national security, impacts consumer trust, and challenges the credibility of our institutions.” statementA director of sports at a high school in Baltimore, Maryland, has been alleged to have utilized artificial intelligence to produce a voice recording filled with hate speech in order to falsely implicate the principal of the school. Dazhon Darien reportedly made the fabricated recording to undermine Eric Eiswert, the principal of Pikesville High School, who was looking into Darien's inappropriate use of school money. The fabricated audio recording was made in an attempt to frame the principal.
