Experts have been ringing the alarm bells about the potential misuse of artificial intelligence since its inception. Now, a bizarre case in Baltimore involving an allegedly fake audio recording and artificial intelligence is validating some of those fears.
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According to the Associated Press, Dazhon Darien, 31, a high school athletic director, used artificial intelligence to generate fake audio recordings of the school’s principal. In the allegedly fabricated audio recording, the impersonated principal can be heard saying racist and antisemitic remarks, as well as disparaging comments about Black students’ testing abilities.
The audio, which also reportedly included disparaging remarks about Jewish individuals and teachers at the school, spread rapidly on social media. Law enforcement officials said that detectives requested a forensic analysis of the recording, which indicated that it “contained traces of AI-generated content.” They received a second opinion from another forensic analyst at the University of California, Berkley, who police say confirmed that the recording was “not authentic.”
The principal was eventually placed on leave before authorities arrested Darien Wednesday evening as he reportedly attempted to board a flight departing from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Darien was released on a $5,000 bond on Thursday.
Darien’s actions were likely inspired due to the principal raising concerns about Darien’s performance at work and suggesting the possibility of not renewing his contract for the following year. One of the principal’s concerns involves Darien allegedly paying his roommate $1,900 in school money to coach the girls soccer team, which he allegedly didn’t do.
The case appears to be the first of its kind in the United States and that the laws have not caught up to the artificial intelligence’s capabilities. Law enforcement stated that the recording posed a safety risk to the principal and his family.
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