In the wake of a mysterious fake Joe Biden robocall incident last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office have taken decisive action to address the issue. This controversy marks a significant challenge involving the use of artificial intelligence (AI) during the 2024 campaign and highlights the growing concerns regarding deepfakes and the spread of misinformation.

The FCC issued a cease-and-desist order on Tuesday to Lingo Telecom, a Texas entity that facilitated the robocalls on its phone network. The New Hampshire State Attorney General's Office also issued a separate cease-and-desist order to Life Corporation, another Texas entity believed to have made the robocalls. Furthermore, Walter Monk was identified as one of the sources behind these calls.

Both Lingo and Life have faced accusations of robocall violations in the past. Following the investigation, Lingo promptly suspended services to Life as instructed by the authorities. The FCC has urged other telecom providers to be wary of suspicious phone traffic carried by Lingo and stated that they may block calls from the telecom company if they choose to do so. If the illegal robocalls persist, the commission has the authority to order other providers to block Lingo's traffic.

New Hampshire officials have accused Life Corporation of violating the state's voter suppression laws. As a response to the incident, the FCC's Enforcement Bureau, led by Loyaan Egal, emphasized their concerns about the misuse of AI technology in meddlesome election activities. Egal stated, "The increasing reliance on AI-generated voices to deceive the public, including as part of election disinformation campaigns, is a rapidly growing problem. We will utilize every tool available to ensure that U.S. communications networks are not used to facilitate the harmful misuse of AI technologies."

The robocalls, featuring an artificial voice recording impersonating Joe Biden, started circulating in New Hampshire households on January 21, just two days before the primary. The recorded message urged voters to stay home and save their vote for the November presidential election. The deceptive voice falsely claimed that Republicans were attempting to manipulate nonpartisan and Democratic voters into participating in the primary, emphasizing the importance of saving one's vote for November instead.

New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella commended the FCC's swift action and collaboration with law enforcement and regulatory agencies. He stated, "The FCC's partnership and fast action in this matter sends a clear message that law enforcement and regulatory agencies are staying vigilant and are working closely together to monitor and investigate any signs of AI being used maliciously to threaten our democratic process."

The incident adds to the mounting concerns surrounding AI's role in election interference and the creation of convincing deepfakes. As technology advances, it becomes crucial for regulators and law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant and adapt their strategies to counter these emerging threats to the democratic process.