Attorney General Miyares joins bipartisan ‘warning’ letter to company blamed for fake Biden call

ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — Attorney General Jason Miyares joined 50 of his counterparts in sending a “warning” letter to Life Corporation, the Texas company accused of discouraging voters from participating, in the New Hampshire primary.

The call mimicked President Joe Biden’s voice and told voters, “Voting this Tuesday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump.” According to Miyares’ office, they also spoofed the caller’s ID to look like a political party official was calling.

“The right to free and fair elections is the bedrock of the American experiment. Organizations that intentionally mislead voters to take that right away are un-American and must be held accountable,” said Attorney General Miyares in a statement. “Attorneys general across the country will not stand for bad actors utilizing AI to rob Americans of their most fundamental right.”

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The 51 attorneys general, all part of the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, warned Life Corp., its owner, and executives, that any further fake phone calls would violate the law.

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office, which is investigating the fake Biden calls, also issued a cease-and-desist letter against Life Corp.

“The problem with AI and politics is you can create something that looks extremely believable, it sounds right, it looks right, but it’s totally fake,” said Dr. Cayce Myers, professor of Public Relations and Director of Graduate Studies at Virginia Tech. He’s written multiple articles and books on political campaigns, including how they’re funded and how policy can impact them.

Meyes says legislation to regulate artificial intelligence cannot move as fast as the technology develops. Until lawmakers can anticipate and manage AI’s impact, it will likely be used nefariously.

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“In the world of politics in 2024, I think what you’re going to see is combatting disinformation generated by AI is going to be a major part of any political campaign,” said Dr. Myers.

That means the responsibility falls on the voter to recognize fakes and do their research.

“That’s going to take a little bit more investigation on the part of the voter but it’s something that’s necessary,” he said.

You have to verify everything, adds Mary Hamilton, CEO of cyber security company, Mad Data.

She says a robocall, like the one made to New Hampshire voters, would take between 30 and 45 minutes to create and would be very easy to disseminate.

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Tech companies are trying to develop a solution, and Hamilton anticipates them becoming a part of the mainstream in the next few years.

“The velocity of threat actors and the nefarious things being done with it is going to be the predicator of the need in the market,” she said, adding that the “market” isn’t just worried voters. AI has become a concern across almost every field.

“Cyber security is national security and what’s coming after the infrastructure of the United States is a bigger deal,” shared Hamilton.

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