Why fake AI calls impersonating US officials are ‘the new normal’

Two of the most senior figures in the US government — Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the White House chief of staff — have been impersonated in recent weeks using artificial intelligence — a tactic that harnesses a rapidly developing technology that cybersecurity experts say is becoming the “new normal” in terms of cheap and easy scams targeting senior US officials.

Two of the most senior figures in the US government — Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the White House chief of staff — have been impersonated in recent weeks using artificial intelligence — a tactic that harnesses a rapidly developing technology that cybersecurity experts say is becoming the “new normal” in terms of cheap and easy scams targeting senior US officials. “It’s now easy and quick to clone someone’s voice using AI tools, which now require less than 15 seconds of someone’s voice to create a believable voice clone,” said Rachel Tobac, chief executive of SocialProof Security, a firm that trains people to defend against such attacks. “Just six months ago, I needed a clear one-to-two-minute sample of someone’s voice without background noise or music to create a believable voice clone — not so anymore.” “Voice-cloning is the new normal (in terms of) impersonation social-engineering attempts,” she said. Rubio told CNN on Thursday that he expects more AI-based efforts to impersonate him. “It won’t be the last time you see me or others, for that matter. Maybe some of you will be impersonated,” Rubio said on a trip to Malaysia.