A group dedicated to voting rights is taking legal action against a political strategist and several companies for their involvement in creating a robocall using artificial intelligence (AI) that mimicked President Biden. This call, made in January, discouraged voters in New Hampshire from participating in the presidential primary.
The League of Women Voters of New Hampshire is accusing Steve Kramer, along with telecom firms Life Corp. and Lingo Telecom, of engaging in voter intimidation, coercion, and deception. These actions are claimed to violate both federal and state laws, including the Voting Rights Act and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The lawsuit, lodged in the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire on behalf of three individuals who received these calls, seeks penalties against the accused and aims to prevent them from creating or distributing similar AI-generated robocalls in the future.
Liz Tentarelli, the president of the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, expressed that these misleading robocalls were designed to confuse voters in New Hampshire extensively. She emphasized the organization’s commitment to providing voters with accurate election information, regardless of their political affiliation, to ensure their voices are heard. The League is determined to protect New Hampshire voters from any attempts to undermine their right to vote.
The use of generative AI, which can produce text, images, or sounds from the data it’s given, has grown more prevalent and sophisticated. This technology has been used to create deepfakes that have spread across various social media platforms. The incident involving the January robocall is among the first significant instances of AI being used to interfere with a U.S. presidential election, highlighting the potential for AI to cause widespread disruption and confusion.
The League of Women Voters has described the malicious use of AI by the defendants as a new and serious threat to American democracy, emphasizing the urgency of addressing such tactics that aim to undermine the electoral process.
Representatives for Life Corp., its owner Walter Monk, Lingo Telecom, and Steve Kramer have chosen not to comment on the matter.
Kramer disclosed to The Washington Post that he commissioned magician and self-proclaimed “digital nomad” Paul Carpenter to replicate Biden’s voice using AI voice-cloning technology from ElevenLabs. The deepfake voice message was prepared in less than 30 minutes and disseminated via Voice Broadcasting, associated with Life Corp. Kramer stated his intention behind the robocall was to highlight the potential dangers of AI in an important election year.
He raised concerns about the ease with which AI technology can be used, suggesting that entities with significant resources could exploit it for more extensive influence.
Paul Carpenter, although involved in the creation of the robocall, is not a defendant in the lawsuit. His lawyer, Brandon Kizy, mentioned that Carpenter is cooperating with the ongoing investigations but did not provide further comments.
The lawsuit reveals that the caller ID suggested the messages were from Kathy Sullivan, a former chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, who was encouraging voters to support Biden. The robocall message misleadingly urged voters to reserve their vote for the November election instead of participating in the primary, falsely claiming that voting in the primary would aid Republican efforts to re-elect Donald Trump.
In response to the robocalls, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella initiated a criminal investigation into Life Corp. and demanded the Texas-based company cease the calls. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is also conducting an investigation.
While laws struggle to keep up with the rapid advancements in generative AI, discussions in Congress have stalled. However, European regulators are moving quickly to address the challenges posed by AI technology.
The FCC has taken steps to address the misuse of AI in robocalls, clarifying that using AI to generate voices for robocalls is illegal. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stated that the agency is committed to combating the fraudulent use of AI-generated voices in robocalls, which have been used for extortion, impersonation, and spreading misinformation. The FCC aims to hold those responsible for such deceptive practices accountable.