Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
In the era where deepfakes were just a CGI-characteristic of the next blockbuster, Baltimore barrels into the headlines with a scandal that feels like it was cooked up in a sitcom writers’ room. A Baltimore teacher, apparently having had enough of whatever they teach these days — perhaps disillusionment 101 — decided the best use of Artificial Intelligence isn’t solving world hunger or curing diseases, but rather spawning a racially charged, fake audio clip of the school principal. Because if you’re going to go down, why not ignite a geopolitical, ethical, and racial firestorm in your wake?
The Breakdown
- Bullet of Bias Blunder
Imagine deciding that the best use of extraordinarily advanced technology is to fake your boss being racist. I guess Netflix and chill was off the table? - Artificial Infamy Injection
All press is good press, right? Well, except when the press involves you digitally puppeteering your principal into a racism scandal. Suddenly, you’re not just in the news — you’re the news. - Tech-savvy Troublemaker Tactics
It’s comforting to know that while some people use their tech skills to hack into banks or steal identities, others are putting their talents into creating high school drama that could fuel a whole season of teen soap operas. - Veracity Goes Virtual
Remember the days when lying about your principal required a simple misquote or a misunderstood comment? Thanks to AI, we’re bypassing the pesky need for actual evidence and jumping straight into scandalous sound bites. - Ethics: There’s an App for That!
Ethical dilemmas in school used to be about whether or not to cheat on a test. Now, they’re about whether it’s morally justifiable to create a digital clone of your principal saying horrific things. Progress?
The Counter
- Digital Doppelganger Defense
Maybe the teacher was just trying to illuminate the dangers of AI in education by giving everyone a live demo. Educational, horrifying, but undeniably memorable. - Interpersonal Imitation to Innovation
Here’s to hoping the next school project involves using AI to solve actual problems, like math homework, and not how to effectively end your career with audio editing software. - Synthetic Sympathy Scenario
Perhaps this is just a misunderstood attempt at promoting AI transparency. See, they’re transparent about being horrendously inappropriate! - Electronic Ethics Example
This could be a new teaching module: How Not to Use AI 101. Enrollment requirements: common sense and a basic understanding of moral conduct. - Algorithmic Accountability Antidote
We should probably thank the enterprising individual for giving a real-world example of why ethics in AI development is crucial. Silver linings?
The Hot Take
In the simmering pot that is modern education, it’s clear we need more than just a good ol’ lecture to root out the misuse of such transformative tech. My hot take? Let’s roll out rigorous ethical AI training for all educators, because understanding the AI in your toaster doesn’t quite prepare you for handling the AI that can mimic voices. Maybe throw in a mandatory course on how not to digitally replicate Watergate in your workplace.
If we want to get out of this digital mess with some semblance of societal norms intact, perhaps investing in a blend of AI ethics, robust tech guidelines, and a pinch of common sense in classrooms could be our saving grace. Or, at the very least, let’s arm every school with an AI that detects BS — a detector that buzzes so loudly when someone is about to do something monumentally stupid with technology that it drowns out even the worst of ideas.
Source: Baltimore teacher accused of using AI to create fake, racist recording of principal
