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Congressman Bill Foster is using AI, and he's worried

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster is taking a hands-on approach to testing artificial intelligence.

As the only member of Congress with a doctorate in physics, the Naperville Democrat is using AI software frequently in hopes of learning more about an emerging field that fascinates the medical and science world and terrifies many others.

AI can allow for family members' voices and images to be cloned and used to perpetrate financial fraud. Criminals have used the technology to scrape photos and videos off social media to impersonate people in FaceTime calls. People have been duped by the faked voice of a family member, in some cases a grandparent, begging for money.

"It's a short-term emergency," Foster said. "There's going to be a wail of pain from the American public when they're confronted by these because they're computer-generated, and they will happen at scale."

• For the full report, visit chicago.suntimes.com.

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