Baltimore high school athletic director used AI to create fake racist recording of principal, authorities say

A Baltimore high school athletic director was arrested and charged Thursday with using artificial intelligence to impersonate a principal on a voice recording that included derogatory comments about students and staff, authorities said.

Dazhon Darien, a physical education teacher and athletic director at Pikesville High School, is accused of using artificial intelligence software to falsify a voice recording of school Principal Eric Eiswert, according to Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough. The fabricated recording went viral after it circulated on social media in January, causing widespread outrage and condemnation among the Baltimore County Public Schools community.

"We now have conclusive evidence that the recording was not authentic. The Baltimore County Police Department reached that determination after conducting an extensive investigation," McCullough said during a news conference Thursday. "Based off of those findings and further investigation, it's been determined the recording was generated through the use of artificial intelligence technology."

Darien, 31, was arrested Thursday and faces several charges including theft, stalking, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness, police said. Following a court appearance on Thursday afternoon, Darien was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond.

Scott Shellenberger, the Baltimore County state’s attorney, said Thursday that the case appears to be one of the first of its kind nationwide. He noted that state lawmakers must update legislation to include the new technology.

The Baltimore case is the latest in a surge of artificial intelligence, or AI, misuse in schools across the nation. Most cases involve "deepfakes" or AI-generated synthetic media, which are images, videos, and audio that digitally manipulate an individual's appearance, voice, or actions.

In the past year, schools have struggled to police the technology as male students in middle school and high school use AI to create nude photos of their classmates. While some cases have resulted in arrests, others have faced less severe consequences due to varying district policies and state laws.

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Police: Fake recording may have been done in retaliation to school investigation

The Baltimore County Police Department launched an investigation on January 17 after an alleged voice recording of Eiswert making racist and antisemitic comments about students and staff was posted on Instagram. The recording triggered a massive online response and prompted an investigation from the school district.

In the recording, the voice said Black students were unable to "test their way out of a paper bag" and questioned "how hard it is to get these students to meet their grade-level expectations." The recording also made disparaging comments about Jewish people and mentioned the names of staff members who "should have never been hired."

The Baltimore Banner reported that school community members believed Eiswert had made those discriminatory comments. Eiswert denied making the comments and has not been working at the school since the investigation began, according to the news outlet.

As part of the police investigation, McCullough said investigators worked with forensic analysts from the FBI and the University of California, Berkeley, who determined that the recording was not authentic. "The results from that analysis indicated the recording contained traces of AI-generated content," McCullough said.

Police believe that Darien fabricated the recording in retaliation against Eiswert, who was pursuing an investigation into the potential mishandling of school funds at the time, according to McCullough.

Officers with the Maryland Transportation Authority took Darien into custody at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Thursday morning, McCullough said. Darien was attempting to board a flight when he was stopped and questioned about how his declared firearm was packaged.

Officers checked Darien's background and an open arrest warrant for him appeared, McCullough added.

Baltimore County Public Schools said in a statement that the district is taking "appropriate action" against Darien’s conduct, including a recommendation for termination.

Rise of deepfakes: 'Entering a new, deeply concerning frontier'

Deepfakes are often used maliciously or to spread misinformation. The AI-generated synthetic media has already "proven to be damaging forces in schools, as students create deepfakes of their peers in intimate poses to ridicule and bully each other," according to the Center for Democracy and Technology. There have also been cases of students creating deepfakes of their teachers.

"It is clear that we are also entering a new, deeply concerning frontier," Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said Thursday. "As we continue to embrace emerging technology and its potential for innovation and social good, we must also remain vigilant against those who have used it for malicious intent."

Last April, a student in Houston, Texas, was accused of digitally altering photos of a teacher and sharing those explicit images online, FOX 26 Houston reported.

In December, two Florida middle school boys were arrested on suspicion of using an AI app to create nude photos of their classmates, who were between the ages of 12 and 13, according to an arrest warrant. The boys were charged with third-degree felonies under a 2022 state law.

And in February, school administrators accused middle school students in Beverly Hills, California, of using AI to create fake nude photos of their classmates, according to NBC News. The superintendent told NBC News that the images included students’ faces digitally manipulated onto nude bodies.

Contributing: Zachary Schermele and Natasha Lovato, USA TODAY