AI Audio Fake: Gym Teacher Arrested for Impersonating Principal
A high school principal loses his job after a recording surfaces of him saying awful things about his staff and students. But what if the recording wasn’t real at all? This is exactly what happened recently at a Baltimore high school.
A gym teacher, Dazhon Darien, is accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) to create a fake audio clip that sounded just like the principal, Eric Eiswert. The recording, filled with racist and hateful comments, went viral and caused major problems for Eiswert. He even lost his job temporarily while things were investigated.
The fake clip sounded pretty convincing. Experts say it fooled people because the voice had a flat tone, no background noise, and no natural breathing sounds things a real recording would have.
Police believe Darien created the fake voice as revenge against Eiswert, who was looking into Darien possibly misusing school money.
Currently, there’s no law against using AI to fake someone’s voice like this! Bills are being proposed in Congress to make it illegal, but they haven’t passed yet. So, while Darien was arrested for other charges, creating the fake audio itself wasn’t technically a crime.
This situation shows a big problem with AI. These tools can be used to create very realistic fakes, and it’s getting easier to do so. Experts worry that bad guys with more tech skills could make even more convincing fakes in the future.
Until there’s a foolproof way to spot fake audio and video, we have to be extra cautious. Don’t always believe what you see or hear online. Be skeptical and try to confirm information before jumping to conclusions. This can help us avoid getting tricked by these AI fakes.
