A Baltimore high school athletic director was detained on Thursday after authorities claimed they had learned he had supposedly used artificial intelligence to make a fake audio recording of the principal of the school, which was shared online, costing the university head both briefly and for his safety.
According to investigators, director Eric Eisworth was fired from his place at Pikesville High School after the district began looking into the audio clip, which appeared to have been made in a racist language toward Black and Israeli students.
According to Baltimore Chief of Police Robert McCollough, the three-month investigation, which involved regional authorities and the FBI, came to the conclusion that Dazhon Darien, the athletic director at the university, fabricated the music using AI equipment.
At a media conference on Thursday, McCollough claimed that “Police alleged Mr. Darien made the recording in retaliation against the main who had launched an investigation into the possible misuse of school money.”
The incident started on January 16 when, according to the charging documents, the saving that appeared to be a dialogue between Eisworth and an assistant principal initially appeared to be first published.
According to the charging report, Eisworth reportedly made “disparaging feedback” about Jewish people and two teachers in the music and claimed Black students were unable to “test their way out of a paper case.”
Researchers said the voice had “profound ramifications” for Eisworth and the college area.
According to the charging report, “It not only led to Eisworth’s temporary treatment but even triggered a flood of hate-filled messages on social media and various names to the school.”
As college officials began looking into the affair, Eisworth maintained that the music conversation had not occurred and that Darien, a 31-year-old man, may have been involved because he was good at technology, according to the charging document.
In December, Eisworth ordered an investigation into Darien based on allegations that he cheated on school funds, according to the charging statement.
Darien was one of three educators who first received the audio from a mysterious email, which contained the charging document. According to the charging documents, one of the other teachers claimed to have forwarded the message to a Pikesville High student, “who she knew would quickly spread the message around various social media outlets.”
According to investigators, the unidentified teacher also forwarded the audio to various media outlets and organizations, including the NAACP.
According to the charging document, that teacher initially kept information from investigators that suggested Darien was one of the original recipients of the message.
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. According to the charging document, investigators were able to discover that Darien had received the audio via email.
According to the charging document, the Baltimore Police Department gave the audio to two forensic analysts who are experts in AI, who discovered that the recording contained elements of AI-generated content.
Detectives allege that Darien used his Large Language Models, such as OpenAI and Bing chat, to create the recording. According to the charging statement, Darien claims to have a paid OpenAI account, which offers users more features than the free version.
This Baltimore County Police Department booking photo features Dazhon Darien, which was released.
Baltimore County Police Department
According to police and court documents, he was detained on Thursday morning as he attempted to board a flight to Houston and is facing charges of disturbing a school operation and stalking.
According to investigators, Darien attempted to use a gun to enter the airport, which led to a security check that revealed the arrest warrant that was issued last night.
The investigation is ongoing.
Darien was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond Thursday afternoon. Attorney information for the defendant wasn’t immediately available.
Myriam Rogers, the superintendent of Baltimore County schools, reported to reporters that Darien’s suspension has begun. She claimed that it could lead to his dismissal.
Dr. Myriam Rogers, the superintendent of Baltimore County, addresses a press conference on April 25, 2024.
WMAR
She continued, noting that the school is looking into the other instructors who helped spread the audio.
While the investigation is ongoing, Rogers stated that interim leaders would serve the remainder of the school year at Pikesville High School.
She stated, “We will work with principal Eisworth and the Pikesville community on the following year.”
“We are grateful that we can bring some sense of closure to the community, and we can now shift our focus to moving forward and giving everyone a new beginning,” Rogers continued.
