US Teacher Charged With Using AI To Frame Principal With Hate Speech Clip

Thomas Claburn reports via The Register: Baltimore police have arrested Dazhon Leslie Darien, the former athletic director of Pikesville High School (PHS), for allegedly impersonating the school's principal using AI software to make it seem as if he made racist and antisemitic remarks. Darien, of Baltimore, Maryland, was subsequently charged with witness retaliation, stalking, theft, and disrupting school operations. He was detained late at night trying to board a flight at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. Security personnel stopped him because the declared firearm he had with him was improperly packed and an ensuing background check revealed an open warrant for his arrest.

'On January 17, 2024, the Baltimore County Police Department became aware of a voice recording being circulated on social media,' said Robert McCullough, Chief of Baltimore County Police, at a streamed press conference today. 'It was alleged the voice captured on the audio file belong to Mr Eric Eiswert, the Principal at the Pikesville High School. We now have conclusive evidence that the recording was not authentic. 'The Baltimore County Police Department reached that determination after conducting an extensive investigation, which included bringing in a forensic analyst contracted with the FBI to review the recording. The results of the analysis indicated the recording contained traces of AI-generated content.' McCullough said a second opinion from a forensic analyst at the University of California, Berkeley, also determined the recording was not authentic. 'Based off of those findings and further investigation, it's been determined the recording was generated through the use of artificial intelligence technology,' he said.

According to the warrant issued for Darien's arrest, the audio file was shared through social media on January 17 after being sent via email to school teachers. The recording sounded as if Principal Eric Eiswert had made remarks inflammatory enough to prompt a police visit to advise on protective security measures for staff. The clip, according to the warrant, led to the temporary removal of Eiswert from his position and 'a wave of hate-filled messages on social media and numerous calls to the school,' and significantly disrupted school operations. Police say it led to threats against Eiswert and concerns about his safety. Eiswert told investigators that he believes the audio clip was fake as 'he never had the conversations in the recording.' And he said he believed Darien was responsible due to his technical familiarity with AI and had a possible motive: Eiswert said there 'had been conversations with Darien about his contract not being renewed next semester due to frequent work performance challenges.' 'It is clear that we are also entering a new deeply concerning frontier as we continue to embrace emerging technology and its potential for innovation and social good,' said John Olszewski, Baltimore County Executive, during a press conference. 'We must also remain vigilant against those who would have used it for malicious intent. That will require us to be more aware and more discerning about the audio we hear and the images we see. We will need to be careful in our judgment.'

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