The mastermind behind the AI deepfake voice of President Joe Biden in New Hampshire last January is facing federal fines that could go up to $6 million.
The Federal Communication Commission proposed on Friday the penalty fine after a New Hampshire attorney general indicted political adviser Steven Kramer on 26 charges of felony and misdemeanor for using "scam calls he set up to defraud voters."
The $6 million penalty will be in addition to the proposed $2 million fine against Lingo Telecom, the robocall operator Kramer commissioned to distribute the robocalls to 5,000 registered New Hampshire residents.
Kramer admittedly paid $500 to spread AI-charged robocalls of Biden telling voters to not attend the Democrat's first primary supposedly as a way to emphasize the need for AI rules.
It is worth noting that Kramer was previously affiliated with another presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips, who later denounced the advisor's actions and severed any official connections with him.
Despite the claimed good intentions, Kramer's actions violated several transmission rules in the federal ID Law. Kramer is set to make his initial court appearance on June 14, at the Merrimack Superior Court.
NBC News first reported the proposed penalty.
Also Read : Deepfake Audio of Biden Supposed to Highlight Need for AI Rules, Robocall Mastermind Says
Penalties on Biden Deepfakes Remain Uncertain Amid Lacking AI Rules
While both Kramer and Lingo may face millions of dollars worth of lawsuits, the charges against them hinge on federal violations of defrauding voters rather than the direct use of AI to spread political disinformation.
Being the first caught in the act, litigators are having a hard time pushing more serious charges against the two due to the lack of federal laws on AI.
It can be remembered that Biden only issued an executive order to form a proposed AI regulation law last October, a plan that remains in deliberation as of writing.
The FCC has earlier prohibited the use of AI-generated voices in spam and robocalls following the incident with more Democrat-backed legislation being pushed in Congress.
Related Article : FCC Outlaws AI-Generated Voices in Robocalls
AI Deepfakes Feared to Further Spread as Voting Polls Near
With no laws prohibiting the use of AI in political campaigns, experts are worried that a surge in AI-fueled disinformation may wreak havoc online in the coming months, much worse than the "fake news" epidemic in the 2016 US Elections.
It does not help that the FCC is currently looking to integrate generative AI into political ads before the election period in November.
Several digital advocacy groups and American voters have already objected to the proposition amid concerns for platform issues that would only enable this type of political disinformation.
