President Joe Biden voice deepfake — Feb 2024

Shortly before the New Hampshire primary election, thousands of voters received a robocall featuring an AI-generated voice mimicking President Joe Biden. The message used the president's signature catchphrase, "What a bunch of malarkey," to discourage Democrats from participating in the primary, falsely claiming that their vote would only matter in the November general election. The incident highlighted the growing threat of generative AI being used to suppress voter turnout and spread disinformation.

What happened

The attack utilized AI voice-cloning technology to create a persuasive, synthetic audio recording of the president. The robocall was designed to sound authentic, leveraging the president's recognizable voice and mannerisms to deliver a message that contradicted standard electoral advice. Following the incident, ElevenLabs, the company whose software was believed to have been used to create the voice, banned the account responsible for the generation. New Hampshire's attorney general identified a Texas telemarketing company as the entity behind the call and initiated an investigation into potential illegal voter suppression. In response to this and similar threats, the Federal Communications Commission subsequently ruled that robocalls using AI-generated voices are illegal under federal telecommunications law, establishing a framework for potential fines and legal action against future violators.