A high school athletic director in Maryland has been charged with using artificial intelligence to impersonate a principal on an audio recording that included racist and antisemitic comments, authorities said on Thursday.
Dazhon Darien faked the voice of Pikesville high school’s principal in January following conversations that Darien’s contract would not be renewed, according to charging documents filed by Baltimore county police.
The principal had expressed concerns over Darien’s work performance, including a theft investigation involving allegations that Darien had paid his roommate using school funds, police said.
Using cloning technology, Darien forged an audio clip in which it sounded as if the principal was frustrated with Black students and their test-taking abilities, police wrote. The recording also purported to capture the principal disparaging Jewish individuals and two teachers who “should never have been hired”.
The audio clip quickly spread on social media and had “profound repercussions”, the court documents stated, with the principal being placed on leave.
The recording also triggered a wave of hate-filled messages on social media and an inundation of phone calls to the high school’s front office, police said. School activities were disrupted for a time, and some staff felt unsafe.
Darien, 31, faces charges that include theft, disrupting school activities, stalking and retaliating against a witness, according to court documents.
Online court records for Darien do not list an attorney who might be able to speak on his behalf. Authorities said Thursday that he is being held in a local jail on $5,000 bond.