US: Disgruntled School Employee Uses AI To Frame Principal With Racist Rant
A disgruntled ex-athletics director at a northern Baltimore County Public School used artificial intelligence to impersonate the voice of his boss, the high school’s principal, then posted the racist and antisemitic hate rant on social media to share with the world.
Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough told reporters his investigators worked with FBI agents and experts from the University of California at Berkeley to determine that a recording of Pikesville High School principal Eric Eiswert, circulating on social media since January, was generated with AI tools by Dazhon Darien, the school’s athletic director, to retaliate against the principal for not renewing his work contract and an investigation into the mishandling of school funds.
On Thursday, McCullough said his investigation found that “Dazhon Darien, the school’s athletic director, produced the recording to retaliate against Principal Eiswert, who had initiated a probe into the mishandling of school funds.”
Local media outlet WBFF’s investigative i-Team arm, Project Baltimore, originally obtained the audio recording, which is 41 seconds long, beginning with racially charged language about black students.
“I seriously don’t understand why I have to constantly put up with these dumb***** here every day,” the AI impersonated voice of the principle said, adding,
“Between these ungrateful black kids who can’t test their way out of a paper bag or these teachers who don’t get it. How hard is it to get these students to meet their grade level expectations?”
🚨#WATCH: As a High School Athletic Director Arrested for Attempting to Frame Principal with AI-Generated Audio Fabricating Anti-Black and Antisemitic Conversation
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 26, 2024
📌#Pikesville | #Maryland
At Pikesville High School's a 31-year-old athletic director, Dazhon Darien, was… pic.twitter.com/T2VAfuR4sj
On Thursday morning, Darien was arrested 30 miles south at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport on an outstanding warrant. ABC 13 News said he now faces charges that include stalking, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness. He’s being held in custody on a $5,000 bond.
The principal was removed from his position as the investigation played out. BCPS officials said he would not return for the remainder of the school year.
Eiswert denied responsibility for the audio during the multi-month investigation, telling police Darien was the culprit.
According to charging documents, Darien’s attempt to sabotage the principal with AI was motivated by “his contract not being renewed next semester due to frequent work performance challenges” and the unauthorized use of school funds.
