President Biden Urges Congress to Enact Ban on AI Voice Impersonation During State of the Union Address

President Joseph R. Biden highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in his annual State of the Union address delivered on March 7, 2024. This speech, broadcast live to the American public, underscored the need for legislative action regarding AI.

In his remarks, as reported by CBS News, Biden urged Congress to:

"Pass bipartisan privacy legislation to protect our children online. Harness the promise of A.I. and protect us from its peril. Ban A.I. voice impersonation and more!"

Biden's call to ban AI voice impersonation draws attention to the growing issue of voice cloning technology, with notable solutions available from companies like ElevenLabs and open-source alternatives such as myShell.

This topic resonates with Biden personally, as his voice was impersonated in a robocall during the New Hampshire primary campaign. These calls, which aimed to mislead voters, prompted the New Hampshire Attorney General to engage the Industry Traceback Group to trace them back to Texas-based Life Corporation and its owner, Walter Monk, along with Lingo Telecom. In early February, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a cease-and-desist letter to Lingo regarding these deceptive practices.

The critical question emerging from Biden’s remarks is whether Congress will take action to ban technologies like those offered by ElevenLabs and myShell.

Watch the full State of the Union 2024 address below: