Happy Tuesday! Here’s your Tuesday Tech Drop, some of the past week’s top stories from the intersection of politics and technology.
Democrats decry push for AI robocalls
Democrats are fighting Republican-led efforts to get the Federal Communications Commission to approve the use of artificial intelligence-generated robocalls ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The conservative Club for Growth is behind a proposal currently under consideration by the FCC and its pro-Trump chair that would authorize robocalls like the Joe Biden deepfake in 2024, which was intended to suppress voter participation in New Hampshire’s Democratic presidential primary.
The FCC could issue a ruling by month’s end, The Associated Press reported. If approved, the move could allow conservatives to bombard the public with AI-enabled misinformation in the lead-up to Election Day — and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is warning the public about what’s at stake.
“The FCC MUST reject the request made by a Republican group that would allow political groups to make robocalls to cell phones without people’s permission,” he wrote on X, adding: “Putting Americans in a position where they can be fed misinformation through AI-generated deception ahead of a crucial election is yet another attempt by Republicans to mislead voters.”
States sue OpenAI
Several states have filed lawsuits accusing OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, of violating consumer protection laws and putting users at risk with its chatbot — which has been used to plan school shootings. I wrote about the lawsuits and the increasing scrutiny toward OpenAI. (A spokesperson said the company has “built industry-leading age-specific protections into our product that many other AI products lack.”)
Read more at MS NOW.
FBI arrests OpenAI employee
The FBI arrested a Saudi national who was working for OpenAI and accused him of illegally planting a recording device in one of the company’s executive conference rooms.
Read more at Tech Crunch.
CBS News’ election coverage
Some staffers at CBS News reportedly have complained that Bari Weiss, their Trump-friendly editor-in-chief, has urged employees to pursue stories about progressive candidates that have been ginned up by conservatives on social media, such as the recent disinformation that MAGA world promoted about James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee in Texas.
Read more at Semafor.
Meta’s machinations
Meta’s temporary suspension of the primary Instagram account for last weekend’s No Kings demonstrations is fueling concerns about the company helping enable authoritarian movements. I explained why the controversy involving the anti-Trump protests, combined with accusations about the company’s role in Brazil’s elections, proves that Meta hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt.
Read more at MS NOW.
Musk and the midterms
MS NOW’s Soorin Kim wrote about how Elon Musk is unleashing a deluge of money to boost Republicans in Texas and elsewhere as the midterms threaten to put the GOP’s control of Congress — and the spigot that Republicans have used to shower Musk with federal benefits — at risk.
Read more at MS NOW.
Trump administration’s Ukraine policy
As President Donald Trump continues to bow to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin in disturbing ways, members of his administration — chiefly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio — are trying to downplay allegations that Team Trump has sought to hinder Ukraine’s efforts to fend off Russia’s invasion, such as by not sharing information and by delaying the delivery of crucial weapons systems.
Read more at Politico.
‘Digital blackface’
A MAGA-linked super PAC is has been accused of “digital blackface” for ads in Ohio’s Senate race promoting a Black socialist candidate whose campaign could draw votes from the Democratic nominee, Sherrod Brown.
Read more at Axios.
Election disinformation in Arizona
MAGA conspiracy theorists promoted a video lobbing baseless accusations of potential election misconduct at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. There was no reason to believe the claims were true, but that didn’t stop Maricopa election official Justin Heap from trying to get the FBI involved. The fiasco spotlights the MAGA movement’s conspiracy theory-fueled push to establish a pretext for federal intervention in the midterms.
Read more at MS NOW.
The post Republicans look to unleash AI robocalls on voters before the midterms appeared first on MS NOW.
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