Consultant involved in Biden deepfake robocall indicted for scheme in Democratic primary

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Isabella Caminoto

May 23, 2024 14:30 PM

Steve Kramer, a political consultant who admitted to NBC News that he used his voice deepfake from Joe Biden in a robocall sent to thousands of voters in New Hampshire in January 2024, was indicted.

The robocall, sent ahead of the first US Democratic presidential primary in New Hampshire, used artificial intelligence (IA) to fake Biden's voice, instructing voters to stay home and “save” their votes for the November general election.

Politician and companies behind fake Biden robocall sued by thousands of voters

A politician and two companies involved in a fake robocall using artificial intelligence (AI) that posed as Joe Biden are facing a federal lawsuit filed by New Hampshire voters and a civic action group. The lawsuit seeks significant financial compensation and demands that these entities be prohibited from taking similar actions in the future.

Ten charges were filed against Kramer in Rockingham County, including bribery, intimidation and impersonation of candidates, as reported by TV station WMUR in New Hampshire. Similar charges were filed in Merrimack and Belknap counties, where others also reported receiving the robocall.

“It sounded like the voice of Joe Biden, and I thought, 'That's weird,' and then as I listened more, I realized it didn't really sound like him," Krista Zurek, who received one of the robocalls, told WMUR.

This robocall is the first reported deepfake to be used in US national politics. USA. Forgery attempts in public life and politics have always been common, but deepfakes use AI and various technological tools to copy voices or faces in an extremely convincing way.

Experts call for more regulation of deepfakes

Artificial intelligence (AI) experts and industry executives, including one of the technology's pioneers, Yoshua Bengio, have signed an open letter calling for more regulation around the creation of deepfakes, citing potential risks to society.

The incident in New Hampshire led the Federal Communications Commission to ban the use of robocalls with voices generated by artificial intelligence. According to Kramer, he sent the robocalls to advocate for the need for AI regulation. He had previously worked as a contractor for Dean Phillips's failed presidential campaign, but both he and the Phillips campaign denied knowledge of the robocall plan.

The creators of the robocall were unknown until a street magician named Paul Carpenter came forward to NBC News, claiming to have created the robocall for Kramer. He provided screenshots of texts and payments via Venmo to corroborate his story. Kramer later admitted his role in ordering the robocall.

Kramer and two Texas companies involved in distributing the robocall are also being sued.

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This post was last modified on May 23, 2024 13:58

Isabella Caminoto

Lawyer and master's student in International Law, I have democracy and freedom as undeniable flags. I am passionate about animals and believe that the well-being of our planet should be the daily highlight of our society's agenda.