Fake Joe Biden AI calls traced to mysterious Texas company, say New Hampshire officials

New Hampshire officials say they have found the source of an illegal voter suppression campaign that used an AI-generated imitation of Joe Biden's voice.

In a news release on Monday, state attorney general John Formella named two Texas companies as the entities responsible for the fake calls.

He ordered Life Corporation, the alleged creator of the messages, and Lingo Telecom, the alleged service provider, to immediately cease all violations of New Hampshire election law and cooperate with an investigation.

Simultaneously, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) threatened to cut Lingo off from the nation's telecoms network unless it can show that it has proper safeguards against illegal activity on its service.

«AI- generated recordings used to deceive voters have the potential to have devastating effects on the democratic election process,» said Mr Formella, a Republican who was appointed to his post in 2021.

«All voters should be on the lookout for suspicious messages and misinformation and report it as soon as they see it.»

Loyaan Egal, chief of the FCC's enforcement bureau, added that the use of AI to deceive voters was «a rapidly growing problem» and that his office would use «every tool available» to keep it off US networks.

In response to questions from The Independent, a spokesperson for Lingo said it had suspended Life Corporation’s account on the same day that it was contacted by US authorities, and that it would comply with federal and state investigations.

“Upon receiving an inquiry on this matter, Lingo acted immediately by conducting an investigation into the calls at issue,” the spokesperson said.

“Lingo had no involvement whatsoever in the production of the call content and remains committed to