Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Overcoming AI voice cloning attacks on election integrity

Computer image of a person speaking
ArtemisDiana/Getty Images

Levine is an election integrity and management consultant who works to ensure that eligible voters can vote, free and fair elections are perceived as legitimate, and election processes are properly administered and secured.

Imagine it’s Election Day. You’re getting ready to go vote when you receive a call from a public official telling you to vote at an early voting location rather than your Election Day polling site. So, you go there only to discover it’s closed. Turns out that the call wasn’t from the public official but from a replica created by voice cloning technology.

That might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but many New Hampshire voters experienced something like it two days before the 2024 presidential primary. They received robocalls featuring a deepfake simulating the voice of President Joe Biden that discouraged them from participating in the primary.


To be sure, there’s no indication that the fake Biden robocalls had a discernible impact on the New Hampshire primary, but the incident is a stark reminder of the growing threat posed by tactics like this, which are increasingly being used by malign actors to target elections not only in the U.S. but in Slovakia, Argentina and elsewhere.

As artificial intelligence tools become more accessible and affordable, deepfake attacks (of which voice cloning is only one example) are becoming more frequent. How can voters protect themselves from similar efforts to ensure that they make informed decisions for the November general election? Here are a few tips:

1. Avoid answering calls from unknown numbers: Picking up a call from an unknown number increases the likelihood of falling for a scam. Additionally, if you answer a call from an unknown number and speak, a scammer can record your voice and use it to create cloned scam calls to trick your family members and friends.

2. Verify the caller’s identity: If you do answer a call that raises suspicion, take steps to verify the caller’s identity. Several New Hampshire voters did this after receiving the Biden robocall and were able to confirm that the voice was fake. Try to contact the person (or their campaign) through an alternative channel to confirm that the call was actually from the person/organization it purported to be from.

3. Report potential voice cloning: If you may have received an AI voice scam call, contact the appropriate authorities so they can use their expertise to investigate further. This can help address your scam, as well as others, and deter similar future behavior. After New Hampshire voters alerted law enforcement and their attorney general about the robocall that used AI to impersonate Biden, the alleged culprit was identified and charged with 13 counts of voter suppression, a felony, and 13 counts of impersonating a candidate, a misdemeanor. He also faces a proposed $6 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission.

4. Educate yourself: Knowledge is your best defense against emerging threats. Take the time to educate yourself and those around you about the dangers of voice cloning. Be skeptical of unsolicited calls, especially if they involve urgent requests that offer suspicious information or try to get you to engage in behavior that sounds “off” (like sending gift cards to supposed relatives of friends).

5. Rely on trusted sources: Our information ecosystem is awash in lies and inaccurate information, but at least in the elections space we know whom to seek out for accurate information about the administration of elections: state and local election officials (and those who support their efforts).

6. Make a plan to vote in advance of Election Day: Devising a vote plan allows you to confirm when, where and how you can vote. It also enables you to consider alternatives in case your preferred plan for voting does not work out because of something unforeseen like an illness. Finally, planning makes it less likely that you’ll be tricked by something like a voice cloning attack, even if it appears real.

Voice cloning attacks are part of the “new frontier” in malign efforts to meddle in U.S. elections. By staying informed, establishing safeguards, and remaining skeptical of unexpected communications, voters can increase their chances of thwarting these threats before they cause real damage.

Read More

When Good Intentions Kill Cures: A Warning on AI Regulation

Kevin Frazier warns that one-size-fits-all AI laws risk stifling innovation. Learn the 7 “sins” policymakers must avoid to protect progress.

Getty Images, Aitor Diago

When Good Intentions Kill Cures: A Warning on AI Regulation

Imagine it is 2028. A start-up in St. Louis trains an AI model that can spot pancreatic cancer six months earlier than the best radiologists, buying patients precious time that medicine has never been able to give them. But the model never leaves the lab. Why? Because a well-intentioned, technology-neutral state statute drafted in 2025 forces every “automated decision system” to undergo a one-size-fits-all bias audit, to be repeated annually, and to be performed only by outside experts who—three years in—still do not exist in sufficient numbers. While regulators scramble, the company’s venture funding dries up, the founders decamp to Singapore, and thousands of Americans are deprived of an innovation that would have saved their lives.

That grim vignette is fictional—so far. But it is the predictable destination of the seven “deadly sins” that already haunt our AI policy debates. Reactive politicians are at risk of passing laws that fly in the face of what qualifies as good policy for emerging technologies.

Keep ReadingShow less
Why Journalists Must Stand Firm in the Face of Threats to Democracy
a cup of coffee and a pair of glasses on a newspaper
Photo by Ashni on Unsplash

Why Journalists Must Stand Firm in the Face of Threats to Democracy

The United States is living through a moment of profound democratic vulnerability. I believe the Trump administration has worked in ways that weaken trust in our institutions, including one of democracy’s most essential pillars: a free and independent press. In my view, these are not abstract risks but deliberate attempts to discredit truth-telling. That is why, now more than ever, I think journalists must recommit themselves to their core duty of telling the truth, holding power to account, and giving voice to the people.

As journalists, I believe we do not exist to serve those in office. Our loyalty should be to the public, to the people who trust us with their stories, not to officials who often seek to mold the press to favor their agenda. To me, abandoning that principle would be to betray not just our profession but democracy itself.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fighting the Liar’s Dividend: A Toolkit for Truth in the Digital Age

In 2023, the RAND Corporation released a study on a phenomenon known as "Truth Decay," where facts become blurred with opinion and spin. But now, people are beginning to doubt everything, including authentic material.

Getty Images, VioletaStoimenova

Fighting the Liar’s Dividend: A Toolkit for Truth in the Digital Age

The Stakes: When Nothing Can Be Trusted

Two weeks before the 2024 election, a fake robocall mimicking President Biden's voice urged voters to skip the New Hampshire primary. According to AP News, it was an instance of AI-enabled election interference. Within hours, thousands had shared it. Each fake like this erodes confidence in the very possibility of knowing what is real.

The RAND Corporation refers to this phenomenon as "Truth Decay," where facts become blurred with opinion and spin. Its 2023 research warns that Truth Decay threatens U.S. national security by weakening military readiness and eroding credibility with allies. But the deeper crisis isn't that people believe every fake—it's that they doubt everything, including authentic material.

Keep ReadingShow less
From TikTok to Telehealth: 3 Ways Medicine Must Evolve to Reach Gen Z
person wearing lavatory gown with green stethoscope on neck using phone while standing

From TikTok to Telehealth: 3 Ways Medicine Must Evolve to Reach Gen Z

Ask people how much they expect to change over the next 10 years, and most will say “not much.” Ask them how much they’ve changed in the past decade, and the answer flips. Regardless of age, the past always feels more transformative than the future.

This blind spot has a name: the end-of-history illusion. The result is a persistent illusion that life, and the values and behaviors that shape it, will remain unchanged.

Keep ReadingShow less