MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) 鈥� A company that sent deceptive calls to New Hampshire voters using artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Biden鈥檚 voice agreed Wednesday to pay a $1 million fine, federal regulators said.
Lingo Telecom, the voice service provider that transmitted the robocalls, agreed to the settlement to resolve enforcement action taken by the Federal Communications Commission, which had initially sought a $2 million fine.
The case is seen by many as an unsettling early example of how AI might be used to influence groups of voters and democracy as a whole.
Meanwhile Steve Kramer, a political consultant who orchestrated the calls, 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 Jan. 21. They featured a voice similar to Biden鈥檚 falsely suggesting that voting in the state鈥檚 presidential primary would preclude them from casting ballots in the November general election.
Kramer, who and self-described 鈥渄igital nomad鈥� to create the recording, told The Associated Press earlier this year that he wasn't trying to influence the outcome of the primary, but he rather wanted to highlight the potential dangers of AI and spur lawmakers into action.
If found guilty, Kramer could face a prison sentence of up to seven years on a charge of voter suppression and a sentence of up to one year on a charge of impersonating a candidate.
The FCC said that as well as agreeing to the civil fine, Lingo Telecom had agreed to strict caller ID authentication rules and requirements and to more thoroughly verify the accuracy of the information provided by its customers and upstream providers.
鈥淓very one of us deserves to know that the voice on the line is exactly who they claim to be,鈥� FCC chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. 鈥淚f AI is being used, that should be made clear to any consumer, citizen, and voter who encounters it. The FCC will act when trust in our communications networks is on the line.鈥�
Lingo Telecom did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company had earlier said it strongly disagreed with the FCC鈥檚 action, calling it an attempt to impose new rules retroactively.
Nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen commended the FCC on its action. Co-president Robert Weissman said Rosenworcel got it 鈥渆xactly right鈥� by saying consumers have a right to know when they are receiving authentic content and when they are receiving AI-generated deepfakes. Weissman said the case illustrates how such deepfakes pose 鈥渁n existential threat to our democracy.鈥�
FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal said the combination of caller ID spoofing and generative AI voice-cloning technology posed a significant threat 鈥渨hether at the hands of domestic operatives seeking political advantage or sophisticated foreign adversaries conducting malign influence or election interference activities."
Nick Perry, The Associated Press
