A Kentucky police officer was backed right into a nook on his profession path after it was found that he despatched racist, AI-generated movies to his colleagues.
Joshua Yeager, who began working for the Lexington Police Division in 2022, stepped down from his place after a disciplinary assessment board consisting of high-ranking cops and two residents advisable that he be fired from his job, in keeping with the Lexington Herald Chief.
An inside investigation discovered that the now-former cop despatched a number of racially offensive movies that he created utilizing synthetic intelligence to a different officer.
Disciplinary paperwork cite the contents of the movies.
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Considered one of them depicted George Floyd — whose homicide by Minneapolis police in 2020 sparked international protests and unrest — promoting fictional medication in a fictional business.
One other confirmed a “white, uniformed police officer ordering a espresso in a espresso store. The barista sits the espresso down and the officer says ‘It’s black’ and stands up and shoots the espresso along with his firearm.”
Investigators wrote that the movies have been “offensive in nature,” and “could be thought of unprofessional and inappropriate by any cheap particular person.”
In an interview with investigators, Yeager acknowledged he shared the movies solely as a result of the AI had rendered lifelike photographs.
“It was extra like, oh crap, look how actual it’s and look what individuals are saying,” Yeager stated in a single interview. “I believe I interpret the espresso one a bit in a different way. I don’t, I believe that’s extra dehumanizing in direction of police.”
One other clip reportedly confirmed a white man pouring out water in entrance of African villagers.
“Once more, that was when, like, holy crap, like that is, look how real looking this, like that is turning into and considering that’s what’s happening,” Yeager reportedly instructed investigators.
He claimed that he by no means meant to dehumanize Black folks when he created and despatched the movies and didn’t “discover humor” in them. He stated, “…to me, if something, it’s exhibiting what different folks assume police do.”
“I, my interpretation of these movies, me personally got here from the thought of like extra, it’s the shock issue, not the shock worth of it. Not that like, I agree with these kind of issues. It’s extra like, oh crap, take a look at this AI, look how actual it’s and look what’s happening,” Yeager stated within the investigative interview.
Yeager added that he solely shared the movies in personal chats by way of social media to at least one unknown officer, by no means publicly.
Disciplinary data state that the unknown officer whom Yeager messaged resigned final summer season throughout an inside probe into his actions.
After reviewing the findings from the investigation into Yeager, the disciplinary assessment board advisable his termination on Nov. 13.
Yeager resigned on Dec. 2.
