AI Deepfakes Impersonate High-Ranking Official—Here’s What You Need to Know

Published: July 10, 2025

artificial-intelligence-7450797_1280 — Image by Brian Penny from Pixabay

By Gavin Boyle

A bad actor impersonated Secretary of State Marco Rubio using AI voice and writing in an attempt to gain access to highly sensitive government data.

“The actor left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals and in one instance, sent a text message inviting the individual to communicate on Signal,” the State Department said, adding that multiple other government officials were impersonated as well through email.

The fake account “Marco.Rubio@state.gov” was created on Signals in mid-June, and the impersonations began shortly after.

“The Department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department’s cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents,” a senior State Department official said.

This is not the first time AI deepfakes have been used to impersonate government officials. Heading into the most recent election season, experts warned that AI could be used to manipulate voters. That warning became a reality in May of 2024 when 20,000 New Hampshire voters received a call from a Joe Biden AI-generated impersonation which implored Democrats not to vote.

“Voting this Tuesday only enables Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again,” the voice recording said.

“Imagine a world where that was a one-to-one attack,” said AI deepfake expert Ben Coleman after these calls. “Where instead of it being pre-recorded, it was actually live, and instead of being from one to many, it was one-to-one, where it’s coming from your husband, your wife, your boss, saying, ‘Hey, Ben, we need you in the office at 6 a.m., I know it’s voting day.’ Or and election official, ‘Hey, we’re moving your precinct, we need you to be across town, three hours away.”

In response to the rise of AI and its ability to foster fraud, many experts have called on Congress to pass laws dictating strict regulations on the technology before its too late. While little progress has been made regarding deepfake impersonations, legislation has advanced towards banning AI-generated deepfake pornography.

First Lady Melania Trump made supporting this legislation her number one priority in the beginning of President Trump’s second term, and a bill criminalizing deepfake pornography hit the President’s desk in April.

“Today’s bipartisan passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act is a powerful statement that we stand united in protecting the dignity, privacy, and safety of our children. I am thankful to the Members of Congress — both in the House and Senate — who voted to protect the well-being of our youth,” Melania said after the bill passed the House and the Senate.

The impersonation of Rubio, however, reveals just how critical it is to clamp down on AI deepfakes in general to protect the public.

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