School teacher arrested in US for creating a racist fake about principal using AI

By: Bohdan Kaminskyi | 26.04.2024, 19:36

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Baltimore County (US) police have arrested Pikesville High School athletic director Dazhon Darien. He is suspected of using AI to create a racist audio recording on behalf of the school's principal, Eric Eiswert.

Here's What We Know

A fake recording with insults directed at "ungrateful Black kids" quickly went viral on social media in January. It sparked a wave of outrage and threats against the principal, who was suspended.

According to investigators, shortly before the incident, Eiswert had initiated a review of Darien on suspicion of embezzlement of school funds. He then filed a complaint against the principal and then used school computers to search for AI tools, including OpenAI and Bing Chat.

In mid-January, Darien sent out a fake recording purportedly from the principal to colleagues and news media from a fake account. However, as it turned out, the anonymous email was linked to his phone number.

Forensics confirmed that the audio was generated by an AI and the recording was manually edited afterwards. As a result, Darien was charged with disrupting the school and harassing the principal.

Authorities have warned of the dangers of misusing new AI technology for defamation and provocation. They believe there is a need for stricter regulation in this area.

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Source: The New York Times