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The FCC has proposed a $ 6 million finefor the chiseller who used voice - cloning technical school to impersonate President Biden in a series of illegal robocalls during a New Hampshire main election . It ’s more about robocalls than AI , but the delegacy is clearly place this as a monition to other would - be high - tech scammers .
As you may recollect , in January , many voters in New Hampshire receive a call purpose to be a message from the president telling them not to vote in the forthcoming primary winding . This was , of course , fake — a interpreter clone of President Biden using tech that has become widely available over the last couple days .
While creating a phoney vocalisation has been potential for a long meter , productive AI platform have made it trivial : dozen of divine service tender clone voice with few restriction or oversight . you could make your own Biden voice pretty easily with a min or two of his speeches , which naturally are easy found online .
What you ca n’t do , the FCC and several police enforcement agencies have made clear , is use that bastard Biden to suppress voter , via robocalls that were already illegal .
“ We will act swiftly and resolutely to guarantee that defective actor can not use U.S. telecom networks to help the misuse of generative AI technology to interpose with election , defraud consumer , or compromise tender data , ” said tribal chief of the FCC ’s Enforcement Bureau , Loyaan Egal , in a jam release .
“ Political consultant ” Steve Kramer was the basal perpetrator , though heenlisted the assistant of the shadowy Life Corporation(previously charged with illegal robocalls ) and the calling services of fishy telecommunication Lingo , AKA Americatel , AKA BullsEyeComm , AKA Clear Choice Communications , AKA Excel Telecommunications , AKA Impact Telecom , AKA Matrix Business Technologies , AKA Startec Global Communications , AKA Trinsic Communications , AKA VarTec Telecom .
Kramer is “ apparently ” in encroachment of several rules — but as yet there are no criminal proceedings against him or his collaborators . This is a limitation of the FCC ’s office : They must work with local or federal natural law enforcement to put weight behind their determinations of financial obligation as an expert bureau .
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The $ 6 million fine is more like a ceiling or aspiration ; as with the FTC and others , the actual amount paid is often far less for numerous reasons , but even so , it ’s a substantial sum . The next step is for Kramer to respond to the allegations , though freestanding actions are being assume against Lingo , or whatever they call themselves now that they ’ve been caught again , which may result in fine or lose license .
AI - generated articulation were officiallydeclared illegal to use in robocalls in February , after the case above cue the question of whether they weigh as “ artificial ” — and the FCC decide , quite sensibly , that they do .
