A deep fake audio of US President Joe Biden is currently making rounds across election polls, telling Democrats to not vote in Tuesday's Primary Election.
Edited recordings of Biden's voice have been reported to be calling New Hampshire residents to "save your vote for the November election."
The Granite State, which is set to hold its primary this Tuesday, was one of the regions Biden won over during the 2020 Elections.
New Hampshire's Office of the Attorney General has already notified the public of the "spoofed" calls, claiming it as "an unlawful attempt to disrupt" the state's primary election.
An investigation has already been started to trace the calls and identify the perpetrators, a much more challenging task as the calls were made through telephone lines rather than online.
It is worth noting that Biden's name was not listed in the primary election poll in New Hampshire and that the primary election does not directly affect results in the November 2024 Presidential.
Deepfakes, AI-Fueled Disinformation on the Rise Ahead of 2024 Elections
While the incident seems to be isolated in New Hampshire, the deep fake calls provide a glimpse to the worsening disinformation culture in the months leading to the 2024 Presidential Elections.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Boston University professor Joan Donovan noted what happened in New Hampshire as "indication of the next generation of dirty tricks."
Deepfakes have been on the rise in the past year amid the increasing popularity of AI tools.
CBS earlier reported an increasing trend of AI-generated fake videos of politicians, including Biden, his competitor Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The US Federal Election Commission has already taken steps to mitigate the impacts of deepfakes and AI-generated content about the upcoming election and its candidates.
OpenAI, one of the leading AI firms in the country, even vowed to stop all politically charged chatbots on its platform.
The new policy has already been made true after the company banned a chatbot of presidential candidate and Democrat Dean Philipps for impersonation of a political figure.
Watchdogs, Experts Call for Further Actions Vs AI Disinformation
Advocacy groups have already started urging lawmakers to prioritize addressing the issue of AI-powered "fake news" to avoid another "electoral chaos."
Voters are also encouraged to be more careful in digesting information regarding politics.
Fact-checking and verifying all news seen online is highly recommended to avoid falling victim to misinformation.
Related Article : How to Spot Election 'Fake News' on Social Media
