Wow. Welcome to our brave new world

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BUT IT WAS ALL FAKE.

A former athletic director, who is black, has been arrested for making this using a clip of the principal's voice that he uploaded to an AI audio platform, which then allowed him to make the recording with whatever words he put into a prompt.

From the Baltimore Banner:

Baltimore County Police arrested Pikesville High School's former athletic director Thursday morning and charged him with using artificial intelligence to impersonate Principal Eric Eiswert, leading the public to believe Eiswert made racist and antisemitic comments behind closed doors.

Dazhon Darien, 31, was apprehended as he attempted to board a flight to Houston at BWI Airport, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Darien was stopped for having a gun on him and airport officials saw there was a warrant for his arrest. Police said they did not know whether Darien was trying to flee.

"The audio clip ... had profound repercussions," police wrote in charging documents. "It not only led to Eiswert's temporary removal from the school but also triggered a wave of hate-filled messages on social media and numerous calls to the school. The recording also caused significant disruptions for the PHS staff and students."

Police say Darien made the recording in retaliation after Eiswert initiated an investigation into improper payments he made to a school athletics coach who was also his roommate, and Darien is also charged with theft and retaliating against a witness.

Darien was released on a $5,000 bond.

Meanwhile, Eiswert has not been working at Pikesville High since the recording was made. It is unclear if he was suspended with or without pay.

AI is getting better (or worse, depending on your perspective) every day, and it probably won’t be long before malicious frauds like this are undetectable. Ugh.

Scott Shellenberger, Baltimore County's state's attorney, said this is the first time his office has prosecuted a case related to artificial intelligence, and it's likely the first criminal case in the country. State lawmakers will need to update criminal statutes to include the new technology next legislative session, he said.