Image: © charles taylor/Stock.adobe.com
FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel warned about using AI tech to interfere with elections, saying: ‘We will find you and you will pay’.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has finalised a $6m fine against political consultant Steve Kramer, the mastermind behind a fake voice recording of US president Joe Biden.
Misleading robocalls in January of this year used an AI-generated voice of Biden urging people in New Hampshire not to vote in the primary election on 23 January 2024.
A subsequent investigation swiftly identified Texas-based Life Corporation and an individual named Walter Monk as responsible for the calls.
However, further details emerged to reveal that Paul Carpenter, a New Orleans magician, was hired by Kramer, a democratic consultant, to make the imitation voice.
Kramer said he did this to raise awareness about the danger of AI in election campaigns.
In a statement yesterday (26 September), the FCC said the Truth in Caller ID Act makes spoofed calls illegal when made with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongfully obtain anything of value.
“In addition, the FCC recently confirmed that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act’s restrictions on calls using an ‘artificial or prerecorded voice’ apply to calls using AI-generated voices.”
Loyaan A Egal, chief of the enforcement bureau and chair of the privacy and data protection task force, said the misuse of generative AI technology to interfere with elections “undermines the foundation of our democracy”.
“Today’s significant penalty sends a clear message to bad actors that the abuse of this technology will not be tolerated,” he said.
FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said it is now cheap and easy to use AI to clone voices, which can illegally interfere with elections. “Let me be very clear. If you flood our phones with this junk, we will find you and you will pay.”
As the US election draws near, deepfakes are a growing concern. In the summer of this year, X owner Elon Musk shared a fake campaign video of US vice-president Kamala Harris, which features an AI-generated version of her voice.
And in August, Donald Trump shared multiple fake images on Truth Social, including one showing Taylor Swift with the caption: ‘Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump’.
This prompted the singer-songwriter to set the record straight, saying the simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.
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