Deepfake diplomacy: How AI voice clones are redefining cybersecurity

A disturbing new incident involving a deepfake voice of the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has thrown light on the growing threat of AI-generated impersonations in global diplomacy.

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According to a classified cable revealed this week, an unknown actor used a realistic AI voice clone of Rubio to contact foreign ministers, a U.S. governor, and a sitting member of Congress.

The outreach came through Signal voice notes, spoofed texts, and even a fake "@state.gov" email, lending credibility to what officials now call a failed but alarming attempt at digital deception.

While none of the targets fell for the impersonation, the effort was convincing enough to raise red flags across diplomatic and cybersecurity circles.

The AI-generated voice mimicked Rubio's tone, pacing, and speech patterns with disturbing accuracy, proving that even short public recordings—such as speeches or press clips—can be weaponized using modern voice cloning tools.

Voice cloning technology uses machine learning to replicate human speech after analyzing a few seconds of audio.

It is increasingly accessible, cheap, and powerful.