(NewsNation) — Robo calls featuring a fake voice claiming to be President Joe Biden caused headaches in the New Hampshire primary.
“Voting this Tuesday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again. Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday,” the fake Biden voice said.
The political consultant who acknowledged commissioning the disinformation campaign, Steve Kramer, is facing more than two dozen criminal charges and a $6 million fine from the FCC.
The company that transmitted the calls, Lingo Telecom, faces a $2 million fine, but the FCC said that both parties could settle.
The FCC also banned the use of AI in phone calls and broadcast ads after the New Hampshire primary incident.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate recently tested generative AI audio tolls that replicated the voices of Biden, former President Donald Trump and top political figures.
“Eighty percent of these tests resulted in convincing audio statements that could shake elections: claims about corruption, election fraud, bomb threats and health scares,” said CCDH Chair Imran Ahmed in a statement on the group’s website.
“In a crucial election year for dozens of democracies around the world, generative AI is enabling bad actors to produce images, audio and video that tell their lies at an unprecedented scale and persuasiveness,” he added.
And voters appear to agree.
A survey from Elon University shows 73% of American voters are “very” or “somewhat” concerned that artificial intelligence could influence the outcome of the presidential election, and 62% believe AI could be used to persuade people not to vote.