A company that sent deceptive calls to New Hampshire voters using artificial intelligence to mimic Joe Biden's voice agreed on Wednesday to pay a 1m fine and bolster its caller identification and authentication features, US regulators said. Lingo Telecom, the voice service provider that transmitted the robocalls, agreed to the settlement to resolve enforcement action taken by the Federal Communications Commission, which had initially sought a 2m fine. Meanwhile Steve Kramer, a political consultant who orchestrated the calls, still faces a proposed 6m FCC fine as well as state criminal charges. The case is seen by many as an unsettling early example of how AI might be used to influence groups of voters and democracy as a whole. The phone messages were sent to thousands of New Hampshire voters on 21 January.

The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office says it is investigating a robocall with a fake voice of President Biden urging voters there not to participate in Tuesday's presidential primary and instead "save" their votes for November. The message, which White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday is "indeed fake and not recorded by the president," was allegedly sent out Sunday, though it is unclear how many people may have received the call. "Although the voice in the robocall sounds like the voice of President Biden, this message appears to be artificially generated based on initial indications," the Attorney General's Office said. "These messages appear to be an unlawful attempt to disrupt the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election and to suppress New Hampshire voters. "New Hampshire voters should disregard the content of this message entirely," it added. President Biden arrives at the White House in Washington on Monday after returning from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The date that New Hampshire set for its primary Tuesday is out of compliance with the DNC's 2024 presidential nominating calendar. Holding an unsanctioned primary means President Biden is not on the New Hampshire ballot, but Granite State Democrats have launched a write-in campaign in an attempt to prevent an electoral embarrassment for the president as he runs for a second term in the White House. You know the value of voting Democratic when our votes count. It's important that you save your vote for the November election," the voice says in a recording of the message obtained by NBC News.