What's happened
Texas companies traced as source of AI-generated robocalls impersonating President Biden in New Hampshire primary
Why it matters
The use of AI to deceive voters is a growing problem and has potential to have devastating effects on the democratic election process
What the papers say
The New Hampshire attorney general and the FCC have identified Life Corporation and Lingo Telecom as the source of the AI-generated robocalls impersonating President Biden, while the FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel wants the commission to recognize calls that use AI-generated voices as artificial, making the use of voice cloning technologies in robocalls illegal (Engadget). The New Hampshire attorney general and the FCC have issued cease-and-desist orders and subpoenas to both companies, while the FCC has also sent a cease-and-desist letter to Lingo Telecom (The Independent). The New Hampshire attorney general has ordered Life Corporation and Lingo Telecom to immediately cease all violations of New Hampshire election law and cooperate with an investigation, while the FCC has threatened to cut Lingo off from the nation's telecoms network unless it can show that it has proper safeguards against illegal activity on its service (The Independent).
How we got here
The robocalls impersonating President Biden were made to New Hampshire voters ahead of the state's primary, urging them not to vote (Engadget).
More on these topics
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Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is an American politician who is the 46th and current president of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and represented Delaware in the United States Senate
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The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States.
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John M. Formella is an American lawyer serving as the 31st Attorney General of New Hampshire since 2021. He previously served as legal counsel for Governor Chris Sununu.
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New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north.
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Artificial intelligence, sometimes called machine intelligence, is intelligence demonstrated by machines, unlike the natural intelligence displayed by humans and animals.
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Texas is a state in the South Central Region of the United States. It is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population.