Updated Through March 2025
What Happened
In January 2024, New Hampshire voters received AI-generated robocalls mimicking President Biden’s voice, urging Democrats to skip the primary and “save your vote for November.” The calls, which included Biden’s signature phrase “malarkey,” falsely claimed participating would aid Republicans.
Perpetrators
Domestic Actors: The calls were traced to Steve Kramer, a Democratic political consultant, who orchestrated the scheme to suppress Democratic turnout. In February 2024, the FCC fined Kramer $6 million under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and criminal charges were filed.
Foreign Risks: U.S. intelligence confirmed Russia used AI to alter Kamala Harris speeches in 2024, while Iran targeted Trump with deepfake audio. China’s role remains unproven but is actively monitored.
Impact
Immediate: The FCC banned AI robocalls in February 2024, but trust in electoral processes eroded. The Biden campaign called it an “assault on democracy.”
Broader Context: Similar incidents, like fake audio of a Chicago candidate endorsing police brutality and AI images manipulating Trump’s appeal to Black voters, signaled a new era of election interference.
Role of Musk’s X-xAI Merger
Amplification Risks: X’s lax moderation under Musk allowed deepfakes to spread rapidly. A Stanford study (February 2025) found conspiracy theories amplified by Grok (xAI’s chatbot) increased 300% post-merger.
Liability Shields: Section 230 protections face a Supreme Court challenge in April 2025 over AI-generated content.
The 2028 Landscape – Escalation and New Players
Emerging Threats
Domestic:
Hyper-Partisan PACs: Groups like “Americans for AI Truth” spent $12 million on anti-Harris deepfakes in 2024 Senate races.
AI Mercenaries: Startups like DeepTrust (under SEC investigation) offer “ethical deepfakes” for scams, per March 2025 SEC warnings.
Foreign:
Russia 2.0: AI clones of U.S. officials “announcing” military withdrawals disrupted NATO alliances in 2024.
China’s Narrative Warfare: Deepfakes of U.S. leaders insulting Japan and South Korea aim to fracture alliances.
Tech Platforms:
X-xAI Dominance: X sued California in 2025 to block enforcement of its deepfake law, prioritizing engagement over accountability.
Decentralized Alternatives: Mastodon’s “deepfake-free” zones gained traction but lack scale.
Potential Impact
Real-Time Sabotage: AI-generated “Emergency Alerts” disrupted Wisconsin’s 2024 Supreme Court election, per DHS reports.
Social Fragmentation: Tailored deepfakes (e.g., police brutality videos) sparked protests in Atlanta and Phoenix.
Legislation – Stalemate and Opposition
Current Efforts
Federal:
Biden’s AI Executive Order (2023): The GAO’s March 2025 report found no enforcement of watermarking mandates.
DEEPFAKES Accountability Act (H.R. 5586): Stalled in Congress since 2024.
State Laws: 27 states now ban election deepfakes, but courts struck down Texas’s law in December 2024, citing free speech.
Who’s Opposing Legislation – And Why
Tech Giants:
Meta, Google, and X lobby against regulation, fearing liability for AI content. X’s lawsuit against California underscores resistance.
Partisan Actors:
MAGA-Aligned Republicans: Argue laws threaten “political satire,” like parody deepfakes of Biden.
Libertarian Groups: Funded by foreign-linked think tanks, they oppose “government overreach.”
Foreign Lobbyists:
Russian/Chinese interests funnel dark money to derail bipartisan bills.
Administration Influence
Tech lobbyists swayed Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to delay Senate hearings. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) opposed federal mandates until AI disrupted Texas’s 2024 elections.
Conclusion: A Crossroads for Democracy
The 2024 Biden robocall incident was a warning shot. By 2028, deepfakes could render truth obsolete without urgent action. Key developments since 2024:
Global Cooperation: The U.S.-EU AI Pact (January 2025) mandates watermarking for political content.
Public Education: Media literacy programs reduced deepfake susceptibility by 18% in pilot states.
Tech Accountability: Advertiser boycotts forced X to label AI content in 2025.
The stakes are existential: Without bipartisan courage to regulate, democracy itself may become the ultimate casualty of the AI era.
Call to Action: Demand Accountability for AI-Driven Election Threats
Contact lawmakers below to break gridlock on the DEEPFAKES Accountability Act (H.R. 5586):
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Chair, Senate Commerce Committee
Washington, D.C. Office: (202) 224-3441 | Seattle Office: (206) 220-6400
Email: maria@cantwell.senate.gov
Urge her to prioritize committee hearings.Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Ranking Member, Senate Commerce Committee
Houston Office: (713) 653-3456 | McAllen Office: (956) 686-7339
Email via cruz.senate.gov/contact
Note: Cruz now supports limited AI regulations after Texas deepfake incidents.Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
Co-Sponsor, DEEPFAKES Accountability Act
Washington, D.C. Office: (202) 225-6231 | Brooklyn Office: (718) 287-1142
Email: Rep.Clarke@mail.house.govRep. Don Beyer (D-VA)
Sponsor, Federal AI Risk Management Act (2025)
Washington, D.C. Office: (202) 225-4376 | Email: Rep.DonBeyer@mail.house.gov
Sample Script:
“I urge you to support the DEEPFAKES Accountability Act (H.R. 5586) to criminalize malicious AI election interference. With the 2028 elections at risk, we need transparency mandates and penalties for bad actors now.”
Act Now: Democracy depends on breaking gridlock. Flood these offices with calls and emails.
🎧 LYRIC BREAKDOWN – The Illusion Machine
By Barking Justice Music
“Amplifying the Resistance, One Song at a Time”
[Verse 1: The Trick Begins]
It sounded like a man you'd seen on the news
Said, “Don’t you vote now—you got nothin’ to lose”
But it wasn’t him, just a voice machine
Stitched together from lines on a cold code screen
What it means:
This verse directly references real-world events like the 2024 deepfake robocall incident. A trusted voice is imitated through AI, weaponized to mislead voters. The “voice machine” is a metaphor for generative AI—a cold, calculated tool that mimics human familiarity to manipulate public behavior. The tone is eerie and disorienting, setting the stage for a song about manipulated trust and stolen truth.
[Verse 2: What They Don’t Tell You]
A deepfake’s built from bits and sound
A puppet show dressed up and passed around
It walks like truth, but it lies like sin
And once it spreads, you can’t reel it in
What it means:
This verse educates the listener on what a deepfake is: synthetic media designed to impersonate reality. The phrase "puppet show" evokes deception and spectacle—truth as performance. The last line warns of irreversible harm—once misinformation spreads, the damage is done. This verse is factual and moral, anchoring the song in civic urgency.
[Chorus: Call-and-Response Style]
(Call): You can clone my voice, you can fake my face
(Response): But you can’t erase me, you can’t take my place
(Call): You can spin that code, watch the world convulse
(Response): But the truth doesn’t die—go on, check my pulse
What it means:
This anthemic chorus is a defiant stand against disinformation. The first line exposes how AI can replicate a person’s voice or face, but the response affirms identity and humanity cannot be truly stolen. “Convulse” reflects societal chaos caused by digital lies, but “check my pulse” is a powerful metaphor for truth’s endurance—we’re still here, breathing, fighting.
[Verse 3: The Echo Chamber Burns]
Musk lit the match with a silence sold
Grok spread lies like a preacher bold
Threads of fiction wound so tight
We forgot how to tell wrong from right
What it means:
This verse critiques Elon Musk and the role of platforms like X (formerly Twitter) in spreading deepfake content. “Silence sold” points to intentional inaction in moderation. Grok, Musk’s AI chatbot, becomes a megaphone for conspiracy. The final couplet expresses how disinformation saturates the public mind—moral clarity collapses under digital confusion.
[Verse 4: In the Streets, the Sparks Fly]
Atlanta cried and Phoenix shook
'Cause the screen showed things no eye ever took
Fake alerts, fake wars, fake cries of peace
But the pain they planted will never cease
What it means:
This verse shows the real-world consequences of AI-generated falsehoods. References to Atlanta and Phoenix allude to cities impacted by AI-driven hoaxes or manipulated protest footage. The final line warns that these lies create trauma that lingers, even after the truth comes out. The damage is both emotional and structural.
[Bridge: The Message Hits Hard]
It ain’t just noise — it’s the weapon now
With every lie, we lose somehow
But we’re not blind, and we’re not ashamed
This is our fight — and we name the game
Without the truth, there’s nothing left to save
So we rise with the voices they tried to erase
What it means:
This is the emotional peak of the song—a bridge that reveals the stakes. Deepfakes aren’t satire—they are tools of sabotage. The line “we name the game” is a declaration of awareness and resistance. It places the burden of truth on all of us—and insists on standing with those silenced by algorithmic erasure. It’s both a lament and a rallying cry.
[Final Chorus: No Doubt Left]
The chorus returns—stronger and louder—driven by gospel-style resistance. The final "check my pulse" is not a plea. It’s a warning: we’re alive, we’re watching, and we’re done staying quiet.
Sources: FCC rulings (2024), GAO Report (March 2025), Stanford Internet Observatory (2025), SEC Alert (March 2025) and 35 other sources.
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