In Baltimore, a former athletics director from a high school has been sentenced to four months in jail following a plea deal surrounding his creation and distribution of a racist and antisemitic deepfake using artificial intelligence (AI) that affected a principal in Maryland. On Monday, Dazhon Darien, 32, agreed to the plea in Baltimore County Circuit Court, acknowledging the evidence against him with an Alford plea without directly admitting guilt. This plea was related to a misdemeanor charge for disrupting school operations, while initial charges also included theft, stalking, and retaliating against a witness.
According to authorities, Darien crafted a fabricated recording using AI software to mimic the voice of Eric Eiswert, the former principal of Pikesville High School. The recording falsely depicted the principal expressing dissatisfaction with Black students and criticizing their academic performance, alongside making antisemitic remarks. This recording circulated significantly throughout the school community and on social media platforms in January of the previous year. Records indicated that prior to the release of the recording, Eiswert informed Darien that his employment contract wouldn’t be renewed due to unsatisfactory job performance, including allegations of misappropriating school funds for paying his roommate under false coaching pretenses.
Experts who reviewed the controversial recording concluded it was artificially generated using advanced AI technology. Although Darien received a four-month sentence, his legal troubles are far from over. He faces additional federal charges, including the sexual exploitation of children and possessing child sexual abuse material, discovered by authorities searching his electronic devices.
This case is among the pioneering instances involving the misuse of AI for personal vendetta, reflecting a growing challenge as AI becomes increasingly accessible. Generative AI, a subfield of artificial intelligence, is capable of creating eerily realistic images, videos, and audio recordings, making it a tool for potentially nefarious purposes. It has been used in other malicious contexts, such as robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden to dissuade voter turnout in a particular election, or to simulate kidnapped children to extort ransom money from unsuspecting parents.
In recent years, several states have begun legislating against the misuse of AI technology, particularly when it comes to influencing electoral outcomes and creating fake media involving child abuse imagery. Maryland legislators, recognizing such threats, attempted to pass a bill to criminalize impersonations using AI, although it ultimately failed. Scott Shellenberger, Baltimore County State’s Attorney, was among the proponents of this legal reform.
The spread of the fabricated recording within Pikesville’s suburban area sparked outrage, leading to numerous indignant calls and a proliferation of hateful messages on social media. As a precaution, law enforcement personnel were dispatched to Eiswert’s residence due to threats. Eiswert, now a principal at a different school in Baltimore County, maintains that he was confident from the beginning that the recording was fake. Subsequently, he initiated legal action against the school district, arguing that Darien’s employment was a grave oversight.
According to a lawsuit, Darien commenced his tenure within the district during the spring of 2023, initially taking on a social studies teaching role before advancing to the position of athletic director at Pikesville. The lawsuit also highlights reporting from The Baltimore Banner that unearthed various fabrications in Darien’s job application, such as fictitious academic qualifications and a prior rejection for a teaching certificate in Florida due to questionable documentation. Eiswert contends that the school district’s inadequate vetting of Darien’s credentials contributed to the situation.