The former Florida senator said he had asked if he was a target of impersonation and if a senior foreign official had texted him within days of becoming Secretary of State.
The ai audio mimics Rubio and targets us and foreign officials
People used AI to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and targeted US and foreign officials in phishing schemes.
- Rubio said he warned about a voicemail message in which the senator is pretending to be the Secretary of State and reported it to the FBI and diplomatic security.
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that anyone who imitates his voice through artificial intelligence represents a “real threat” that “can happen to anyone,” which is why he generally communicates with foreign leaders through official channels.
“It can happen to anyone, especially if you’re a public figure,” Rubio told reporters on July 10 at the Southeast Asian Parliamentary Association in Malaysia. “This is the reality and a real threat to this AI technology.”
Rubio said he learned about the impersonation last week and immediately reported it to the FBI, diplomatic security and others. The senator called Rubio to ask if he was about to reach the person and provided a voicemail.
“It doesn’t sound like me,” Rubio said.
According to Diplomatic Cable, seen by Reuters on July 8, the fraudster contacted three foreign ministers and two U.S. officials last month. In mid-June, the scammer contacted the minister, the US governor and members of Congress via the signal messaging app and left at least two voicemails. In one example, a text message was sent, and the targeted person invited them to communicate via signal.
The former Republican senator from Florida said the impersonation is part of a “fake” that has become a routine for new technology.
“Within a few days of becoming Secretary of State, I called the State Department and asked them if I had texted them,” Rubio said. “In general, I communicate with my counterparts around the world through official channels for reasons. That’s to avoid this.”
Rubio said anyone with AI software and recordings of someone’s voice will manage their own spoofing.
“I’m sure there are a lot of positive aspects to AI, but this isn’t one of them,” Rubio said.
