Blumenthal Warns of AI Abuse in Elections, Calls for New Regulation

Voters should be wary of an influx of misleading campaign messages generated by artificial intelligence, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday as he called for new rules and legislation to regulate the emerging technology.

Blumenthal, D-Conn, delivered the warning during a mid-day press conference outside the state Capitol building in Hartford.

“Voters can expect to be bombarded, beginning right now, with a blizzard of pre-recorded robocalls, ads, texts — more and more of it generated by AI technology,” he said. “Artificial intelligence technology has become the new norm.”

The prevalence of AI-generated campaign messaging was especially concerning given the ease with which users can now produce deepfakes and misrepresentations that are virtually indistinguishable from legitimate video and voice recordings, Blumenthal said. He urged voters to independently verify any election-related messages that seemed out of place.

“The AI technology is so sophisticated that there are almost no telltale signs, looking at the ad or listening to the robocall or seeing the text,” he said. “But anything that seems unexpected, like the change of a voting place or the cancellation of an election, should be checked with town hall before you take action.”

In an effort to combat misleading AI robocalls, Blumethal called on the Federal Communications Commission to adopt new rules to restrict the calls by requiring callers to disclose their intent to use AI-generated content.

Meanwhile, Blumenthal vowed to continue his efforts to pass the AI Transparency in Elections Act, legislation he co-sponsored to require disclaimers on political ads that significantly rely on AI-generated content. The bill would also require the FCC to quickly address violations of the act.

Although Blumenthal said bipartisan support could help put his bill over the congressional finish line, he noted that states like Connecticut have found success adopting their own rules to govern use of AI.

In 2023, state Sen. James Maroney, D-Milford, led passage of a law to examine and inventory use of artificial intelligence in government in order to ensure automated systems were not making discriminatory decisions.

This year, the Senate’s Democratic majority passed a separate bill that would have, among other provisions, taken steps to criminalize the distribution of deceptive AI-generated media within 90 days of an election. The House did not act on the bill prior to the conclusion of the 2024 session.

On Tuesday, Blumenthal praised states like Connecticut for taking action to regulate artificial intelligence in the absence of federal policies.

“Right now, in this election session, artificial technology is in the Wild West,” Blumenthal said. “Anything goes because we have no effective protection requiring disclosure of the use of artificial intelligence technology and penalties for distortive deepfakes or impersonations. So, I strongly support those state efforts.”

 Posted by Hugh McQuaid