Company behind New Hampshire AI calls mimicking Biden agrees to $1 million fine

The company that sent New Hampshire voters deceptive AI calls mimicking President Joe Biden agreed Wednesday to a $1 million fine, federal regulators said.

The voice service provider Lingo Telecom sent the robocalls and agreed to the settlement with the Federal Communications Commission, which initially wanted a $2 million fine, according to the Associated Press.

The FCC still seeks a $6 million fine from Steve Kramer, the political consultant who engineered the calls. Kramer also faces state criminal charges.

Thousands of New Hampshire voters received the robocalls on January 21. The calls featured a Biden-like voice suggesting voting in the state's presidential primary would preclude a voter from voting in the November general election.

Kramer paid a magician to create the recording. He told the wire service that his intention was not to influence the primary but to highlight the dangers of AI and inspire legislative action to counter them.

Kramer faces up to seven years on a charge of voter suppression and up to one year on a charge of impersonating a candidate.

Lingo Telecom's settlement with the FCC requires the company to abide by strict caller ID authentication rules and more rigorously verify information provided by customers and upstream providers.