The AI ​​clip convinced – and divided

When a recording surfaced showing a local school principal making derogatory comments, it went viral online, sparking death threats against the educator and causing a stir across the suburbs. umbrella outside the city of Baltimore. But it was soon exposed as a fake, manipulated by artificial intelligence – so why do people still believe it is real?

“I really don’t understand why I have to constantly put up with these idiots here every day.”

Thus began what appeared to be a long tirade from Pikesville High School’s principal, interspersed with racist, anti-Semitic and derogatory slurs. It seems like it was secretly recorded.

The speaker continues to complain about “ungrateful black children” and the Jews in the community.

The clip, first posted in January, went viral across the country. But it really caused a stir in the peaceful, leafy suburb of Pikesville, which has large black and Jewish communities, and in nearby Baltimore, Maryland. Principal Eric Eiswert has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.

Alfie Malone, a black man who lives in nearby Baltimore, discovered other members of his community posted the clip and assumed it was real.

“In the back of your mind, you think this is probably how people really feel about us,” Mr. Malone said. “And then to hear that actually sound.”

In an attempt to corroborate what he had heard, Mr. Malone checked other physical recordings of Mr. Eiswert on social media and they sounded similar.

So the part-time postman, part-time podcaster hit the reshare button.

The clip began to attract attention on social networks as more and more people spread it online. One of the most shared versions is about to reach two million views within a few hours. Currently, that number is about 60 times the entire population of Pikesville.

But what those who shared the clip didn’t realize at the time was that another bombshell was about to drop: the clip was a fake created by AI.

Because Why Do You Hate Me by BBC Radio 4I went to Maryland to investigate the impact this clip had on that town. It almost reads like a parable about the dangers that AI poses, especially when local communities become targets.

When the clip appeared on the desk of Kristen Griffith, an education reporter for the Baltimore Banner, she thought it would be a relatively simple story about a teacher being exposed for making comments offense.

But following best practice in journalism, Ms. Griffith wanted to give the principal the opportunity to comment and tell her side of the story. So she contacted his union representative, who said Mr. Eiswert not only condemned the comments but also did not make them.

“He immediately said, oh, we think this is fake… We believe it is AI,” she told the BBC. “I had never heard that angle” before.

But when she published that explanation, her readers were not convinced. Instead of raising questions about the clip’s authenticity, it only sparked a backlash from those who said the fake claim was just an excuse or an attempt to avoid responsibility.

At this time, local police began investigating the case. Staff at Pikesville High School told them they felt unsafe because of so much attention and they were concerned that the school had been rigged with recording devices.

Principal Eiswert’s reputation was also severely affected. Security was increased around him and the school. He became the target of hate and threats on social networks. I found dozens of abusive messages aimed at him on social media.

Then in April, Baltimore Police Chief Robert McCullough confirmed that they now have “compelling evidence that the recording is not authentic.”

And they believe they know who made the fakes.

Police charged Dazhon Darien, 31, the school’s athletic director, with several crimes related to the fake video. The charges include theft, retaliation against witnesses and stalking.

He was arrested at the airport, where police said he was planning to fly to Houston, Texas.

Police said Mr. Darien was investigated by Principal Eiswert for allegedly stealing $1,916 from the school. They also allege that there have been “performance challenges” and that his contract may not be renewed.

Their theory is that by creating the deepfake recording, he hoped to discredit the principal before being fired.

Investigators said they traced an email used to send the original video to a server connected to Mr. Darien and alleged that he used Baltimore County Public Schools’ computer network to access the tools. WHO. He will be tried in December 2024.

Mr. Darien’s legal representative did not respond to a request for comment.

Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Myriam Rogers previously said this was a “very difficult time” for the school community, the principal and his family.

Representatives for Pikesville High School and Mr. Eiswert did not respond to my request for further comment.

Because the clip is audio-only, that means there are no visual cues, such as the robot movements that often reveal AI manipulation. It also covers jargon, like “grade level expectations,” and other details, like staff names, that only those close to the school would know.

However, when you listen carefully, there are clear edits between sentences – and the voice, while similar to the main voice, sounds quite monotonous. Artificial intelligence can use several minutes of real audio recording – such as from your favorite actor in a movie or a presidential candidate giving a speech – to create a clip that makes it sound as if they said something they never did.

But perhaps the biggest reason people believe the video is real is because it feels real, Mr. Malone told me.

It explores his own experiences of racism as a black man living in Baltimore.

When Mr. Malone heard the principal describe black students as lazy, it immediately reminded him of the slurs and discrimination he encountered at school and work.

Months later, the effects of the fake audio are still being felt in Pikesville. Mr. Eiswert has changed jobs and is working at another school. And although some community members told me they now accept the video as fake, the damage is still done.

“This is a Jewish neighborhood and to say something so extreme about this community is offensive,” a woman named Sharon told me as she loaded her grandchild’s stroller into the car at one house. across from the high school last August.

For several minutes, Sharon talked to me as if the clip was real.

“I think when people say things like that, other people join in and that makes me even more scared.”

When her husband spoke up from inside the car and reminded her that the clip was actually fake, she admitted that she “later found out it was created by AI.” But she said she’s still angry about it.

I found that for people like Sharon, who believed the clip to be real, even for a short time, it stuck with them – especially when the message echoed real experiences of feces. racism and discrimination. It reminds me of something I hear over and over again when investigating misinformation and conspiracy theories: “Well, even if it’s not true, that’s what I think they think.”

All major social media companies say they have policies in place to label, remove and limit the spread of AI-generated posts. But that action only happens when it can be proven that the clip is fake. By that point, it could have reached millions of people.

Alfie Malone said even earlier that day, he spoke to a friend who still didn’t know the clip was AI-generated.

“I honestly believe that a lot of people in this city don’t really know that’s not true,” he said.

He said he felt sorry that Mr. Eiswert, the school’s principal, had been wrongly accused of making those comments. He also worried that the episode undermined real-life experiences of racism.

He said he would think carefully before sharing a clip like this again.

“I was burned by fire once. I won’t touch the stove again.”