Company that sent Joe Biden-impersonating AI calls to New Hampshire voters agrees to pay $1 million fine

Victor Boolen

Company that sent Joe Biden-impersonating AI calls to New Hampshire voters agrees to pay  million fine

MEREDITH, NH (AP) – A company that sent fraudulent calls to New Hampshire voters using artificial intelligence to imitate President Joe Biden’s voice agreed Wednesday to pay a $1 million fine, federal regulators said.

Lingo Telecom, the voice service provider that relayed the robocalls, agreed to a settlement to resolve an enforcement action by the Federal Communications Commission, which had originally sought a $2 million fine.

Many see the case as a troubling early example of how artificial intelligence can be used to influence constituencies and democracy as a whole.

Meanwhile, the political consultant who arranged the calls, Steve Kramer, still faces a proposed $6 million FCC fine as well as state criminal charges.

The phone messages were sent to thousands of New Hampshire voters on January 21st. They had a voice similar to Biden’s, who falsely suggested that voting in the state’s presidential primary would disqualify them from voting in November’s general election.

Kramer, who paid a magician and himself a “digital nomad” to create the tape, told The Associated Press earlier this year that he wasn’t trying to influence the outcome of the primary, but rather wanted to highlight the potential dangers. Artificial intelligence and spur lawmakers to action.

If convicted, Kramer could face up to seven years in prison for voter suppression and one year in prison for impersonating a candidate.

The FCC said that in addition to accepting the civil penalty, Lingo Telecom had agreed to comply with strict caller ID rules and requirements and to more thoroughly verify the accuracy of information provided by its customers and upstream providers.

“Each of us deserves to know that the voice on the line is exactly who it says it is,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “If AI is to be used, it should be made clear to all consumers, citizens and voters who encounter it. The FCC will act when trust in our communications networks is restored.”

Lingo Telecom did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company had previously stated that it strongly disagreed with the FCC’s actions, calling it an attempt to impose new rules retroactively.

The non-profit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen thanked the FCC for its actions. Co-chairman Robert Weissman said Rosenworcel got it “absolutely right” when he said consumers have a right to know when they’re getting genuine content and when they’re getting AI-generated deep fakes. Weissman said the case illustrates how such deep fakes pose an “existential threat to our democracy.”

FCC Enforcement Bureau chief Loyaan Egal said the combination of caller ID spoofing and generative AI voice cloning technology poses a significant threat “in the hands of domestic operatives seeking political advantage or sophisticated foreign adversaries engaged in malign influence or election interference.”

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