The Principal of Pikesville High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, Eric Eiswert, was impersonated by the former athletic director of the school using an AI deepfake audio which contained racist and antisemitic comments.
This incident led to Eiswert’s temporary removal from his position and a wave of hate-filled messages directed at the school. The former athletic director has been arrested and charged with crimes related to generating an Artificial Intelligence voice impersonating the school principal
The incident began when the athletic director became disgruntled after being investigated for a $1,916 shady payment he made to a school athletics coach who was also his roommate. The payment was disguised as compensation for the coach serving as an assistant girls’ soccer coach, a position school officials confirmed the coach did not hold.
In retaliation, the former athletic director generated an AI deepfake audio mimicking Principal Eiswert, with the audio containing statements such as, “ungrateful Black kids who can’t test their way out of a paper bag”. The voice also mentioned the names of staff members who should not have been hired and threatened to “get rid of another person one way or another.” Also, the audio stated, “And if I have to get one more complaint from one more Jew in this community, I’m going to join the other side.”
Fortunately, authorities were quickly able to identify the audio as an AI deepfake, leading to the arrest of the former athletic director. According to the charging documents, the police stated, “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.”
This incident serves as a warning about the potential for AI technology to be weaponized for malicious purposes, particularly as deepfake capabilities continue to improve. Recent reports, such as this AI Cyber Insights post about a phishing attempt on a LastPass employee using an AI deepfake, shows the growing threat posed by the misuse of this technology.
Without proper AI regulations, innocent individuals could find themselves wrongfully implicated and might even land in jail due to malicious use of AI deepfakes.
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