UPDATED 21:14 EST / FEBRUARY 06 2024

AI

New Hampshire AG says Texas firm was behind AI-generated Joe Biden robocall

New Hampshire’s attorney general today named the alleged sources of a mysterious deepfake Joe Biden robocall last month that told Democrats in the state not to vote in the primary election, prompting more discussions on the regulation of artificial intelligence.

Attorney General John Formella said the calls were traced to the telemarketing outfit Life Corp., which is based in Texas. The Federal Communications Commission subsequently sent a cease-and-desist letter to the company seeking to prevent such calls from being made in the future.

“The increasing reliance on AI-generated voices to deceive the public, including as part of election disinformation campaigns, is a rapidly growing problem,” the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau said in a statement. “We will utilize every tool available to ensure that U.S. communications networks are not used to facilitate the harmful misuse of AI technologies.”

The originating service provider was Texas-based Lingo Telecom, which was also sent a cease-and-desist order. The company suspended services to Life once it discovered it was at the center of an investigation.

According to the investigation, the robocalls started on Jan. 21 and lasted for two days. It’s believed only between 5,000 and 25,000 calls were made. That’s not a huge number, but it’s something the state wants nipped in the bud.

Moreover, robocalls risk breaching federal and state laws, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Truth in Caller ID Act, the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act, and the Telemarketing Sales Rule.

“Ensuring public confidence in the electoral process is vital,” said Formella. “AI-generated recordings used to deceive voters have the potential to have devastating effects on the democratic election process.”

He explained that the Election Law Unit worked with members of the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force and the FCC. YouMail and Nomorobo helped to identify the calls, and the Industry Traceback Group played a big part in tracing the origin of the calls. Formella said the speedy success these people achieved sends a “clear message” that the state will “investigate any signs of AI being used maliciously to threaten our democratic process.”

As for which AI technology was used to generate President Biden’s voice, that remains unclear at the moment, although some reports have pointed to New York City-based ElevenLabs Inc. The company uses AI and deep-learning technology to convert text into natural-sounding speech. Bloomberg, speaking to people familiar with the story, earlier reported that it has banned the account associated with the fake Biden calls.

Photo: Onur Binay/Unsplash

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