Political Consultant Indicted for AI-Generated Robocalls Mimicking President Biden
Summary:
Steven Kramer, a Democratic political consultant, has been indicted by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office for employing artificial intelligence to create robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden during the Democratic primary elections. The robocalls discouraged residents from voting. Kramer defends his actions as highlighting the hazards of AI in politics. He is faced with 13 felony voter suppression charges, 13 minor impersonation charges, and a potential $6 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission. Lingo Telecom, which transmitted the calls, may receive a $2 million fine from FCC.
Steven Kramer, a New Orleans-based political consultant, has been charged concerning his involvement in the creation and distribution of automated phone calls that falsely portrayed President Joe Biden. The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office states that Kramer, who was campaigning for Dean Phillips, a competing candidate, is facing charges for impersonating President Biden during the Democratic primary elections in New Hampshire. The alleged scheme involved the usage of artificial intelligence to produce numerous robocalls featuring a simulated voice of President Biden, dissuading residents from voting.
The spoofed phone calls carried a message urging recipients to withhold their votes until the November elections, stating that only then would their votes make a difference. Attorney General John Formella accused Kramer, aged 54, of 13 felony counts of voter suppression and 13 misdemeanors for impersonation. A proposed penalty of $6 million by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was also levied against Kramer, who was found guilty of violating caller ID rules via his deepfake robocalls.
Lingo Telecom, the phone company responsible for distributing the calls, is potentially facing a $2 million FCC fine for improperly labeling the calls with a high-level caller ID attestation, making it harder for other service providers to identify the likelihood of the calls being spoofed. Attorney General Formella expressed his hope that these punitive measures would act as a powerful deterrent against election interference, whether it involves the use of artificial intelligence or not.
NBC News reported in February that Kramer condoned his actions, defending them as a proactive stand against the potential threats posed by AI in politics. He claimed that the fake robocalls were a calculated act of civil disobedience, designed to draw attention to the dangers of AI within the political sphere.
In light of the growing apprehension over the risks of AI-generated content skewing voters' views in the lead-up to the 2024 elections, President Biden's campaign team stated it had measures in place against malicious deepfake attacks. The campaign had set up an interdepartmental team to address potential AI-related disruptions during the elections, as reported by Reuters. The rising incidence of AI-generated deepfakes was also reported by Cointelegraph in March, emphasizing the necessity for voter vigilance. In addition, twenty top-tier AI tech companies pledged in February to stop their technology from influencing electoral outcomes.
Published At
5/24/2024 6:12:18 AM
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