A former athletic director at a Baltimore County high school was arrested and charged with using an AI voice cloning service to frame the school’s principal. The incident involved a recording that circulated on social media, purportedly featuring principal Eric Eiswert making racist and antisemitic comments. However, experts concluded that the recording was fake due to its lack of authentic elements such as background sounds and breathing pauses. The police traced the recording back to Dazhon Darien, the former athletic director, who allegedly accessed school computers to search for “OpenAI tools.” Darien was arrested at the airport, and investigators believe that he made the recording as retaliation against Eiswert for investigating potential mishandling of school funds.
The use of AI voice cloning technology in this incident prompted OpenAI to withhold its AI text-to-voice generation platform, Voice Engine, from public use in March. This decision was made due to the lack of guardrails around the technology, which only requires a 15-minute audio clip to clone someone’s voice. As a result, the service is now only available to a limited number of researchers. This development highlights the growing concerns around the misuse of AI technology, particularly in the realm of voice manipulation and deepfakes.
In response to these concerns, US lawmakers have introduced bills such as the No Fakes Act and the No AI Fraud Act to prevent technology companies from using an individual’s face, voice, or name without their permission. These legislative efforts aim to address the potential risks posed by deepfake technology and to establish safeguards to protect individuals from malicious actors seeking to manipulate or impersonate them using AI-generated content. The ongoing debate surrounding the regulation of AI technology underscores the need for proactive measures to ensure the responsible and ethical use of these advanced tools.
The arrest of Dazhon Darien and the subsequent investigation into the incident at Pikesville High School shed light on the potential consequences of AI voice cloning technology in the wrong hands. The case serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of using AI to create misleading or false content with the intent to harm or manipulate others. It also highlights the importance of establishing clear guidelines and regulations to govern the use of AI technology in order to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
As the story continues to unfold, it raises important questions about the ethical implications of AI voice cloning and the need for greater transparency and accountability in the development and deployment of such technology. The incident at Pikesville High School serves as a wake-up call for policymakers, tech companies, and society as a whole to address the potential risks and challenges associated with the growing prevalence of AI-generated content. By taking proactive measures to protect individuals’ privacy and security, we can work towards ensuring a safer and more responsible use of AI technology in the digital age.