Pastors and secret codes: US election officials wage low-tech battle against AI robocalls

WASHINGTON – While fake videos of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris spread across social media but fail to capture much interest, state officials are girding for what they consider a far more dangerous deception days before the US presidential election – deepfake robocalls.

Officials in states from Arizona to Vermont are preparing for fake audio messages piped directly to home and mobile phones and out of public view, a concern exacerbated by rapidly advancing generative AI technology.

And unlike AI-generated photos and videos, which often have small, telltale signs of manipulation such as an extra finger on a person’s hand, it is more difficult for the average voter to spot a fake phone call, experts said.

Ahead of the Nov 5 election that pits Ms Harris against Republican Donald Trump, election officials are on alert given early examples of such calls. In January, a robocall impersonating US President Joe Biden circulated in New Hampshire, urging Democrats to stay home during the primary and “save your vote for the November election”. The political consultant behind the robocall was fined US$6 million (S$7.9 million) in September.

“We’ve already seen examples of audio deepfakes. It’s not something that is this imaginary technology. It’s here,” said Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold.

Audio is most concerning because it is difficult to track and verify, said Amy Cohen, executive director of the National Association of State Election Directors, a non-partisan professional organisation for election directors.

“Even without AI, every election official spends hours chasing their tails because of robocalls,” she said.

That’s because investigating robocalls – automated calls delivering a recorded message – depends on people hearing the call correctly, recognising the call is fake and then reporting it to authorities. Rarely do election officials receive a recording of the robocall, Ms Cohen added.

To prepare, election directors have considered potential scenarios in training sessions and discussions throughout the year, according to interviews with officials from six states.

To arm themselves, officials are using decidedly old-school strategies.

In Colorado, election officials have considered how to react if they themselves are targeted with deepfake calls. For example, what should officials do if they receive a call with a voice that sounds like Ms Griswold’s, instructing them to alter voting hours at polling locations? Ms Griswold says she has instructed officials to hang up and call her office if they suspect anything out of the ordinary.