In an unsettling case of high-tech deception, a former Maryland high school athletic director allegedly used artificial intelligence to create a fake audio clip that seemed to feature the principal making racist and antisemitic remarks. The manipulated recording led to the principal being placed on administrative leave and prompted a flood of hate on social media.
Baltimore County authorities have charged Dazhon Darien, ex-athletic director at Pikesville High School, with several counts including theft, disrupting school operations, stalking and retaliation against a witness, WBIR reported. The police said the case appears to among the first in the U.S. involving the use of artificial intelligence in this manner.
According to charging documents released by the Baltimore County Police, following a dispute over Darien's job performance and contract renewal issues, Darien engineered an audio clip making it sound as if the principal expressed frustration with Black students' test-taking abilities and made derogatory comments about Jewish individuals and two teachers. After being disseminated on social media, the clip's repercussions included serious risks to the principal and his family's safety, requiring police to stand guard at their home.
At the core of the investigation, experts analyzed the notorious recording and discovered "AI-generated content with human editing after the fact," a fact detailed by a University of Colorado-Denver professor. A second opinion from a University of California-Berkley professor confirmed that "multiple recordings were spliced together," according to court records as noted by WAFB. These revelations raise questions about the burgeoning capabilities of artificial intelligence and the corresponding detection strategies, which experts fear may be falling behind.
Scott Shellenberger, Baltimore County's state's attorney, urged that Maryland's legislature should consider updating state laws to keep pace with dangerous new technological exploits. Currently, the law for disrupting school activities carries a sentence of only six months. "But we also need to take a broader look at how this technology can be used and abused to harm other people," Shellenberger highlighted in a statement obtained by AR15.com. Meanwhile, the Baltimore County school system has recommended Darien's termination, superintendent Myriam Rogers said.
Darien, who was arrested ahead of a scheduled flight and released on a $5,000 bond, has not yet enlisted an attorney to speak on his behalf. The case has not just shed light on an individual's deplorable act but has also opened a dialogue about the potential for misuse of powerful technologies and the urgent need to grapple with its implications for the law and society.
