Baltimore high school athletic director uses AI to smear principal

Dazhon Darien, athletic director at Pikesville High School in Baltimore, was charged with using AI to create a fake audio recording appearing to show the school’s principal, Eric Eiswert, making racist comments against Black and Jewish individuals.

The audio clip was first circulated in January 2024, leading to Eiswert being temporarily removed from his position. Eiswert maintained that the conversation in the audio never happened and suggested that Darien, who is technologically savvy, may have been involved.

The investigation revealed that Darien allegedly created the recording to retaliate against Eiswert, who had launched an investigation into Darien over allegations of misuse of school funds. 

The FBI and an expert from the University of California, Berkeley, were able to link the simulated audio to an email account under the alias TJ Foust, which Darien allegedly used to send the phony recording to his own work email and other teachers at the school.

This incident underscores the potential misuse of AI and the serious repercussions it can have on individuals and communities.

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• https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/25/baltimore-maryland-artificial-intelligence-teacher-deep-fake/73460123007/

• https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/business/deepfake-recording-principal-arrest.html

• https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-framed-principal-racist-ai-generated-voice/

• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13351569/Black-Baltimore-athletics-director-charged-fake-racist-rant.html

• https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/k-12-schools/eric-eiswert-ai-deepfake-YUNO6ITYM5FWZPQAE24RIBV5CQ/

• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/teacher-arrested-ai-generated-racist-rant-maryland-school-principal-rcna149345

• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/maryland-teacher-ai-principal