AI being used to frame principal as racist

Question

A Maryland principal was falsely accused of racism and anti-semitism after the athletic director of his school used AI to create voice recordings of him.

Answer 1

This claim is true. The original linked NPR article provides robust information to the context of the issue and details from an official police investigation which purports AI being used. The source of the NPR article is legitimate and trustworthy and can encourage high reliability in the rest of the information provided. Additionally, we can find the original police announcement on their website here: https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/police/news/athletic-director-charged-pikesville-high-school-ai-case

Comments

This article is crazy! Surely is scary what AI is capable of. Thank you for providing another source for me to look at too.

Answer 2

This claim is correct. After reading the credible article published by NPR linked above, I researched further and found that AP News, The Guardian, USA Today and various other well-known publications reported on this. In most of the articles, they include quotes from police officers, court standings, and broaden the topic to the larger issues of increasing AI powers without regulators. The articles also include context to Dazhon Darien, the creator of the video, and the petty feud that motivated him to frame Principal Eric Eiswert. The original video, however, has been taken down for its spread of hate speech, specifically racist and anti-semetic content. While the articles didn't include the video, they include the main problematic points of the video without harming the viewer, which further push their trust and credibility. The Baltimore Banner also publishes an article about the incident, and since the event is so close in proximity to them and at a local level the credibility and specifics are yet again proved true.

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/26/1247237175/baltimore-ai-generated-racist-audio-crime

https://apnews.com/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-principal-audio-maryland-baltimore-county-pikesville-853ed171369bcbb888eb54f55195cb9c

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/maryland-teacher-ai-principal

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/25/baltimore-maryland-artificial-intelligence-teacher-deep-fake/73460123007/

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/k-12-schools/eric-eiswert-ai-audio-baltimore-county-YBJNJAS6OZEE5OQVF5LFOFYN6M/

Comments

Your response is very well supported and thought out. I appreciate your hyperlinks to so many different sources. I also think that it was a smart choice to include a local news source for this fact check. It allows us to get specific knowledge of the matter and get a credible read on this event.

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I like your commentary here. I like how you referenced different trustworthy sources. It's great to see that you also gave context on the issue instead of just naming why it's wrong, so that others could understand :)

Answer 3

This claim is true. 

NPR is a well-regarded and independent broadcasting station that aims to “uphold the highest standards of public service in journalism and cultural expression” (NPR). The article remains neutral on the subject and showcases different points of view on the issue. For example, they highlight the Baltimore Police Department, Hany Farid (digital forensics Professor at UC Berkeley), Billy Burke (head of an educational union that protects the principal involved), and Myriam Rogers (the school's Superintendent). They also highlight the issue of how AI could have bad consequences for the future if regulators don’t consider these situations. This makes it more informational to me rather than a biased-filled opinion piece. 

For better coverage, I found that BBC, NBC, CBS, and the Washington Post all wrote similar things detailing this accusation. They all mention some of the same evidence just with NBC doing a bit more of an in-depth analysis on the situation. 

For sourcing the original content, I was able to find a report written by the Baltimore County government detailing that the suspect, Dazhon Darien was “arrested on charges of stalking, theft, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness.” They confirmed that he used AI to imitate principal Eric Eiswart’s voice to retaliate against Eiswart“who at the time was pursuing an investigation into the potential mishandling of school funds.”

I also found sourcing from Baltimore County Public Schools where Myriam Rogers delivered a community update: “This morning, Baltimore County Police officers arrested Dazhon Darien, the Pikesville High School athletic director, on multiple charges stemming from an investigation the Baltimore County Police Department launched in reference to the January 17, 2024, release of an audio recording allegedly of Principal Eric Eiswert. This afternoon, I joined the county executive, chief of police, and the state’s attorney for a joint press conference so that the police could provide an update on the investigation and I could address next steps for the Pikesville High School community and Team BCPS.”

She further stated that this incident doesn’t reflect their values and how they would move forward as a district with having two lead administrators step in for the principal, as it was a distressing time for him. She also gave the families resources to have open dialogue with their children about the issue. 

Overall, I think that this claim has proved its validity with substantial NPR content, reliable cross-referencing, and evidence from the original sourcing. 

Sources 

https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/police/news/athletic-director-charged-pikesville-high-school-ai-case

https://www.bcps.org/system/b_c_p_s_news/2023-2024_staff_and_community_messages/april_24__2024_staff_and_community_update__message_from_superintendent_dr__myriam_rogers_regarding_pikesville_high_school_investigation