Telecom company hit with $1 million penalty over AI-generated fake Biden robocalls

A voice service provider will pay a $1 million fine for transmitting deceptive robocalls in New Hampshire that used artificial intelligence to spoof President Joe Biden’s voice, the Federal Communications Commission said.

Lingo Telecom failed to follow federal rules for caller ID information when it sent calls to voters on January 21, two days before the New Hampshire primary, the FCC said Wednesday. The agency had sought a penalty of $2 million. 

The FCC is still pursuing a $6 million fine against political consultant Steve Kramer, who arranged the calls to interfere in the primary, the agency said in a news release. Kramer also faces a criminal indictment in New Hampshire. 

Kramer has said he wasn’t trying to influence the outcome of the election, and instead was trying to highlight the dangers of AI. The calls mimicked Biden’s voice to tell recipients not to vote in the primary.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said consumers deserve to know exactly who is making a phone call. 

“If AI is being used, that should be made clear to any consumer, citizen, and voter who encounters it,” Rosenworcel said. “The FCC will act when trust in our communications networks is on the line.”

Lingo Telecom also accepted a consent decree that includes a compliance plan that the FCC called the first of its kind under its so-called STIR/SHAKEN rules.

The company will “abide by “Know Your Customer” (KYC) and “Know Your Upstream Provider” (KYUP) principles—which allows carriers to vet traffic and ensure it is trustworthy—and requirements that the company more thoroughly verify the accuracy of the information provided by its customers and upstream providers,” the FCC said.

Rosenworcel has continued to press for additional rules that would crack down on AI-generated robocalls.