A Maryland high school athletic director has been arrested on suspicion of using artificial intelligence (AI) to create a racist and anti-Semitic voice for his boss, authorities announced Thursday.
Dazon Darien, 31, the athletic director at Pikesville High School, is suspected of making the recording in retaliation against his boss, Pikesville Principal Eric Eiswart, who was investigating Darien’s possible mishandling of school funds. The authorities have announced that.
Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said at a Thursday news conference that authorities first learned of the existence of the audio recordings on January 17 and thoroughly investigated the allegations before sharing the information with the public. Ta.
“On January 17, 2024, the Baltimore County Police Department became aware of an audio recording circulating on social media,” McCullough said. “The audio contained in the audio file is claimed to be from Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswart. We now have conclusive evidence that the recording is not authentic. ”
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Dazon Darien, 31, was arrested Thursday on charges of stalking, theft, interfering with school operations and retaliating against a witness. (Baltimore County Government)
Authorities announced that during an “extensive investigation,” both the FBI and forensic analysts at the University of California, Berkeley, concluded that the audio recordings were fake.
In an audio recording that was first sent to all teachers and staff at the school and later widely disseminated on social media, Eiswart’s AI-generated voice can be heard ranting about the school’s Black and Jewish families. .
“It should be noted that the comments in the recording say:” [Eiswert’s] Claiming to be dissatisfied with African American students’ test scores, they [African American students] “The suspect was unable to perform an experiment to remove the product from a paper bag,” the indictment obtained by the suspect states. baltimore banner Said.
“The recordings continued with derogatory comments about Jewish individuals and two teachers who ‘should never have been employed’ at the school. The recordings depicted conversations between the two.” [Eiswert] and one of the assistant principals at PHS,” the indictment, obtained by a local news agency, states.
Baltimore County police announced Thursday that authorities have arrested a former high school athletic director. (Baltimore County, via YouTube)
Authorities said the audio affected Eiswart, who was on the receiving end of a “wave of hateful messages.” on social media The school received many phone calls. ”
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“The audio clip had a significant impact,” police said. “The incident not only led to Mr. Eiswart’s temporary expulsion from the school, but also triggered a wave of hateful messages on social media and numerous phone calls to the school. The recording also , causing significant disruption to PHS staff and students.”
Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Miriam Rogers (center) said Thursday that the school continues to work with police to investigate the incident. (Baltimore County, via YouTube)
At a news conference Thursday, Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Miriam Rogers said administrative proceedings have been initiated to discipline Darien and the school is investigating other teachers involved in disseminating the audio.
Darien faces several charges, including theft, stalking, obstructing school operations and retaliating against a witness.
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After appearing in court Thursday, Darien was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Baltimore County Schools and the Baltimore District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to FOX News Digital’s requests for comment.
