Teacher arrested after using AI to impersonate voice of principal making racist comments

A teacher has been arrested after he used artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate the voice of his school’s principal making racist and anti-Semitic comments about students and staff.

Dazhon Darien, a PE teacher and the director of athletics at a high school in Maryland, was accused of falsifying the voice of principal Eric Eiswert in January.

Mr Darien is said to have used cloning technology to forge an audio clip that made Mr Eiswert sound like he was frustrated with black students and their test-taking abilities, police said.

In the clip, which circulated widely on social media, the voice of what appears to be Mr Eiswert can be heard saying that black students are unable to “test their way out of a paper bag”, according to court documents.

It also went on to express discontentment for Jewish individuals and two Jewish teachers employed at the school who “should never have been hired”.

‘Recording was not authentic’

“We now have conclusive evidence that the recording was not authentic,” Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough told reporters.

“It’s been determined the recording was generated through the use of artificial intelligence technology.”

Mr Eiswert had expressed concerns over Mr Darien’s performance, including investigating him for theft following allegations that he misused school funds.

Mr Darien allegedly paid $1,916 (£1,530) for an assistant girls’ football coach, who the head coach and players said never assisted the team. The supposed coach is said to have been Mr Darien’s roommate.

‘Difficult time for Pikesville’

Mr Eiswert also clashed with Mr Darien when he reportedly fired a coach without his approval.

With Mr Darien’s contract up for renewal there was a possibility it wouldn’t go through, according to the arrest warrant.

Mr Darien allegedly made the recording of Mr Eiswert in retaliation.

Mr Eiswert always insisted that the recording, which Mr Darien sent to himself and two other teachers on the evening of Jan 16, was fake. He has been on paid administerial leave since the recording went viral.

“As you could imagine, this has been a very difficult time for [the] Pikesville High School community, principal Eiswert and his family,” Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Myriam Rogers said.

Detained at Houston airport

Mr Darien was charged with disrupting school activities, theft, retaliation against a witness and stalking after he was arrested on Thursday morning at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Mr Darien was scheduled to fly to Houston when he was questioned by security as to whether he had properly packed his gun for travel.

When security at the airport ran his name through police records, a warrant for his arrest showed up and he was later detained.

Police declined to comment on whether or not Mr Darien was intending to flee the Maryland area.