The last time we reviewed artificial intelligence (AI) at Legal Insurrection, in the context of racial issues, Professor Jacobson discussed the “discrimination by algorithm” being built into corporate America via chatbots such as Google Gemini.
However, it appears AI has already morphed into a tool of race hate that can be wielded more directly. A high school athletic director in Maryland has been accused of using AI to impersonate a principal on an audio recording that included racist and antisemitic comments.
Dazhon Darien faked the voice of Pikesville High School’s principal in response to conversations the men had about Darien’s poor work performance and whether his contract would be renewed, Baltimore County police said.Concerns included allegations that Darien paid his roommate $1,900 in school funds under the false pretense of coaching the girls soccer team, police said.Darien forged an audio clip in which it sounded as though the principal was frustrated with Black students and their test-taking abilities, police wrote in charging documents. They said the recording also purported to capture the principal disparaging Jewish individuals and two teachers.
The principal, Eric Eiswert, received an avalanche of hate mail and calls for his termination. He was temporarily removed from his position at Pikesville High School once the deep-fake AI audio clip was spread widely via social media.
Fortunately, the hoax was discovered before he was buried under them.
On the audio clip, a voice that mimicked Principal Eiswert made race-based commentary, including statements that African-American students were unable to “test their way out of a paper bag,” according to charging documents.There were also comments about Jewish individuals and two teachers who “should never have been hired at the school.” Police said the recording depicted a phony conversation between Eiswert and one of the school’s assistant principals.The clip’s viral circulation on social media had significant repercussions. Eiswert was temporarily removed from the school, and waves of hate-filled messages circulated on social media, while the school received numerous phone calls.
It is chilling to note that other teachers initially tried to protect Darien when the investigation began after Eiswert maintained his innocence.
Darien was one of three teachers who first received the audio from a mysterious e-mail, the charging document read. One of the other teachers told investigators she forwarded the message to a Pikesville High student “who she knew would rapidly spread the message around various social media outlets,” according to the charging documents.The unidentified teacher also forwarded the audio to several media outlets and groups including the NAACP, investigators said.That teacher initially kept information from investigators that indicated that Darien was one of the original recipients of the message, the charging document said.When Darien was questioned by investigators, he claimed that he did not know who the person was who sent him the audio, according to investigators. However, investigators were able to determine that the email address that sent out the audio was registered to Darien, the charging document said.
Darien is now facing multiple charges, including stalking, theft, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness.
Maryland Transportation Authority Police arrested Darien as he was boarding a plane to Houston from BWI Marshall Airport. Law enforcement officers flagged Darien’s bag for the way he packaged a gun in his checked luggage and discovered he had an active arrest warrant.Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said police intended to serve the warrant Thursday. He didn’t know whether Darien was trying to flee or had travel plans.Darien is also charged with theft, retaliating against a witness and stalking. He was released on a $5,000 bond from the Baltimore County Detention Center. He doesn’t have an attorney listed in online court records and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Scott Shellenberger, Baltimore County’s state’s attorney, said this is the first time his office has prosecuted a case related to AI, and one of the first his office could find in the country.
AI is a tool, and like any other tool, it can be used for good or evil.
While it is wonderful that investigators caught the hoax in this case, as the technology improves, it may become more difficult to do so. Going forward, any audio or video clip should be viewed with some skepticism….especially if it involves race, climate change, or any other of the “justice” narratives.
Some helpful tips might be useful to review going forward.
What kind of words are they saying? Are they using vocabulary and turns of phrase they usually don’t? An AI can duplicate a person’s voice, yet it can’t duplicate their style. A bad actor still must write the “script” for the deepfake, and the phrasing they use might not sound like the target.
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