Dean Phillips: Fake robocalls in NH highlight need for regulation

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) on Monday denounced an AI-generated robocall impersonating President Biden in New Hampshire and urged voters not to vote in Tuesday's primary.

The Democratic presidential candidate called robocalls “wrong” and said the incident highlights the need to regulate artificial intelligence.

“Artificial intelligence is already all around us. It's coming towards us like a freight train,” Phillips said in a CNN interview on Monday. “this [Biden] The government is completely unprepared for the disruption to the economy. His 40% of work will be interrupted by it. ”

“We have deepfakes that mislead and mislead people, but there are no guardrails. There are no laws in place to protect us from it and to reduce costs for the American people. No one is really going to use it to increase service delivery,” he continued. “Let me tell you, this is an example of why we need regulation now.”

The robocall includes an artificially generated voice of Biden urging voters not to go to the polls on Tuesday.

“With just this Tuesday's vote, the Republican Party can re-elect Donald Trump,” he said, imitating Biden's voice. “Your vote will make a difference in November, not this Tuesday.”

Phillips' long presidential campaign is pinning its hopes on New Hampshire, where Biden is not on the ballot. Biden supporters hope the write-in campaign will lead the president to victory.

The lawmaker added that robocalls should point out why young leaders are needed. Mr. Biden is 81 years old and Mr. Phillips is 55.

“That's exactly why we need leaders who are not octogenarians who can understand what's coming, and that's part of the confusion,” Phillips said. “If we choose between those two, we're going to be in big trouble for a variety of reasons,” he continued, referring to Biden and former President Trump.

The organization leading the write-in campaign for Biden also condemned the robocalls on Monday. It is unclear who organized the conference call.

“This is deepfake disinformation designed to harm Joe Biden, suppress voting, and undermine our democracy,” write-in campaign spokesperson Aaron Jacobs said in a statement.