Disgruntled Athletic Director Accused of Framing Principal with AI-Generated Racist, Antisemitic Recording
We’re now in a day and age where a jerk can get you fired by using A.I. to fake your voice, or put your face on deep fake porn. I hope more employers are getting savvy to this and don’t rush to fire someone over a voice recording containing objectionable material, unless they can verify that it’s authentic.
School principal was framed using AI-generated racist rant, police say. A co-worker is now charged.
April 25, 2024
BALTIMORE — A former high school athletic director was arrested Thursday morning after allegedly using artificial intelligence to impersonate the school principal in a recording that included racist and antisemitic comments about individuals at the school.
…Investigators determined he faked principal Eric Eiswert’s voice and circulated the audio on social media in January. Darien’s nickname, DJ, was among the names mentioned in the audio clips he allegedly faked, according to the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Baltimore County detectives say Darien created the recording as retaliation against Eiswert, who had launched an investigation into the potential mishandling of school funds, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said on Thursday.
Eiswert’s voice, which police and AI experts believe was simulated, made disparaging comments toward Black students and the surrounding Jewish community. The audio was widely circulated on social media. …
April 25, 2024
By Sarah Rumpf-Whitten
A Maryland high school athletic director was arrested after he allegedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to create racist and antisemitic audio in the voice of his boss, officials said Thursday.
Dazhon Darien, 31, an athletic director at Pikesville High School, allegedly made the recording to retaliate against his boss, Pikesville Principal Eric Eiswert, who was pursuing an investigation into Darien’s potential mishandling of school funds, authorities said.
At a press conference on Thursday, Robert McCullough, chief of Baltimore County police, said that officials were first made aware of the voice recording on Jan. 17, and thoroughly investigated the allegations before sharing the information with the public.
“On January 17, 2024, the Baltimore County Police Department became aware of a voice recording being circulated on social media,” McCullough said. “It was alleged the voice captured on the audio file belongs to Mr Eric Eiswert, the Principal at the Pikesville High School. We now have conclusive evidence that the recording was not authentic.”
Authorities said that in their “extensive investigation,” both the FBI and a forensic analyst with the University of California, Berkley, concluded that the audio recording was phony.
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