Fake AI voice posing as Nithya Raman draws ethics complaints; Rick Caruso backs Karen Bass in LA mayoral race
Rick Caruso backs Karen Bass in LA Mayor's race
Rick Caruso announced he will vote for Karen Bass, the mayor he spent millions trying to defeat in the 2022 election.
LOS ANGELES - An AI-generated voice impersonating Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman is at the center of ethics complaints filed by her campaign against a super PAC supporting Mayor Karen Bass. The controversy comes as businessman Rick Caruso, who challenged Bass in 2022, announces he is voting for her in the upcoming election.
The developments add another twist to the heated mayoral race, with accusations of political deception, questions about accountability and a high-profile endorsement unfolding in the final days before Election Day.
Raman campaign alleges AI impersonation, files ethics complaints
The Raman campaign says it filed complaints Monday with the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission against Thrive LA PAC, a conservative super PAC backing Bass.
The campaign alleges the group is using artificial intelligence to impersonate Raman, generate fabricated responses and mislead voters without properly disclosing that the voice is AI-generated or identifying who is paying for the operation.
Thrive LA has placed signs around Los Angeles directing voters to call a phone number advertised as belonging to "Nithya Raman Realty." Callers hear an AI-generated voice that speaks in the first person as Raman and responds to questions.
During a call by FOX 11, the recording began with the message, "This call is being recorded for quality and training purposes."
The AI voice then said, "I’m as imaginary as my campaign promises."
When asked whether it was supposed to sound like Raman, the voice responded, "Yes. That’s the point."
The AI voice also said, "Housing policy with worse branding and better self-congratulations."
Ana Dahan, executive director of Thrive LA, defended the effort as political satire.
"AI was a tool to express our First Amendment right for political satire," Dahan said.
Asked whether callers should be told the voice was AI-generated, Dahan said, "I think if you call and listen to it, you’d know it’s AI. Nobody would believe it’s a real human being."
The Raman campaign alleges the operation violates California laws governing deceptive election media and AI-generated political advertising, as well as campaign disclosure requirements.
The complaint cites California Elections Code Section 20012, which the campaign says prohibits certain malicious distribution of digitally fabricated audio depicting a candidate saying something she did not say within 30 days of an election. It also cites Government Code Section 84514, which requires disclosures on certain political advertisements containing AI-generated or substantially AI-altered content.
The complaints represent allegations by the Raman campaign; they do not establish that Thrive LA violated the law.
"It’s both sad and illegal for Karen Bass’ conservative allies to be cloning Nithya’s voice, manufacturing her words, and hiding who is paying for it, all to deceive voters," Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for the Raman campaign, said in a statement.
Rick Caruso announces he will vote for Bass
In a separate development, Caruso announced he will vote for Bass, the mayor he spent millions trying to defeat in the 2022 election.
"I’m announcing today that I made a decision to vote for Mayor Karen Bass," Caruso said.
Asked whether his decision was a vote for Bass or against Raman, Caruso responded, "No, it’s a vote for Bass."
"I’m voting for her because I think she’s going to do a better job than Raman going forward," he said.
Bass welcomed the endorsement, pointing to their work together on rebuilding the Pacific Palisades after the devastating wildfires.
"Rick and I have a long history of working together to solve big problems," Bass said in a statement. She cited Caruso and his nonprofit, Steadfast LA, as partners in rebuilding the Palisades and helping families return to their homes.
Bass also highlighted their work on the Palisades Recreation Center and efforts to reopen Palisades Village.
"I’m honored to receive his support," Bass said, adding that she looks forward to working with Caruso over the next four years.
Caruso also addressed whether Los Angeles is better prepared for another major fire.
"I hope so," he said.
He added that he would continue to hold city leaders accountable, including the mayor.
Steve Hilton criticizes Bass, says voters should demand accountability
Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, also weighed in on the mayoral race, posting to X that voting for Bass is "morally unacceptable."
Asked why he viewed a vote for Bass that way, Hilton pointed to accountability in government.
"Because you’ve got a sense in government and politics that if you really mess up, you should be held accountable," Hilton said.
Hilton acknowledged he doesn’t live in Los Angeles and stopped short of making a direct recommendation to city voters.
"I’m not in LA. I wouldn’t make any kind of [voting] recommendation," he said. "I would just say this, if you live in LA, I can help. I can be a backstop."
The AI phone line, the Raman campaign’s ethics complaints, Caruso’s endorsement and Hilton’s criticism come as the Los Angeles mayoral race enters its final stretch.