Veteran political consultant Steve Kramer has admitted to commissioning a robocall that impersonated President Joe Biden using artificial intelligence (AI). The call, which appealed to&nbsp;New Hampshire&nbsp;voters&nbsp;to not vote in the presidential primary&nbsp;and save their votes for the general elections to be held in November,&nbsp;sparked investigations and backlash from election officials and watchdogs.

Not just the US, in the UK as well there is concern over AI-generated content. Recently, voicing concern over AI generated deepfakes, James Cleverly, the UK home secretary during a recent interview, warned that criminals and "malign actors" working on behalf of malicious states like Russia and Iran could these to hijack the general election.

Speaking to the Times, he said that "The era of deepfake and AI-generated content to mislead and disrupt is already in play".

<h2>A revolutionary hero?</h2>

In a conversation with NBC News, Kramer, who was reportedly working for a rival Biden candidate, expressed no remorse for the deepfake call. Instead, he compared himself to American Revolutionary heroes Paul Revere and Thomas Paine and claimed that he had planned the call as an act of civil disobedience to highlight the dangers of AI in politics.&nbsp;

"This is a way for me to make a difference, and I have," he said, adding "For $500, I got about $5 million worth of action, whether that be media attention or regulatory action."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ai-scare-for-us-elections-fake-robocall-imitating-biden-asks-voters-not-to-vote-in-new-hampshire-primary-682665">AI scare for US elections? Fake robocall imitating Biden asks voters not to vote in New Hampshire primary</a>

He asserted that the call, which he planned from the start, had nothing to do with his client, Biden's long-shot primary challenger, Dean Phillips, the Democratic representative from Minnesota.

The call, made to over 5,000 New Hampshire voters, was reportedly part of Kramer's strategy to draw attention to AI's potential misuse in politics. He acknowledged facing potential legal consequences but said he remained committed to working in politics.

As per the report, he said he has received a subpoena from the Federal Communications Commission, and said he suspected that he might get sued by a half-dozen people and could even face jail time.

Watch |&nbsp;Fake Joe Biden robocall told voters to stay home for primary election

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/fake-joe-biden-robocall-told-voters-to-stay-home-for-primary-election-682749/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Kramer confirmed that he hired a Texas telemarketing company, Life Co,&nbsp;to distribute the calls, but said they were unaware of the call's content before delivery.

"They had no knowledge of the content of this call prior to delivery," Kramer wrote in his statement.&nbsp;

"I'd use them again, but they are done with my business."

<h2>Street magician was the voice of Biden robocall</h2>

Paul Carpenter, a New Orleans street magician, created the AI-generated audio file replicating Biden's voice for the robocall. He read from a script provided to him by Kramer. Carpenter, paid $150 for the work, believed Kramer was working for the Biden campaign.

The call, Kramer stated, aimed to provoke regulatory action and raise awareness about AI's misuse.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/man-allegedly-a-us-air-force-member-sets-himself-on-fire-outside-israeli-embassy-in-washington-dc-693816">Man, allegedly a US Air Force member, sets himself on fire outside Israeli embassy in Washington, DC</a>

"Even individuals acting alone can quickly and easily use AI for misleading and disruptive purposes," he said.

Authorities in New Hampshire are investigating the call for potential violations of state laws against voter suppression laws, and the Federal Communications Commission has reportedly accelerated plans to outlaw AI robocalls in response to the Biden robocall.

Kramer's admission comes after NBC News linked him to the fake Biden robocall. He revealed that he also commissioned an earlier deepfake robocall impersonating Senator Lindsey Graham as a test, which received a significantly higher response rate than an automated call.

(With inputs from agencies)

Veteran political consultant Steve Kramer has admitted to commissioning a robocall that impersonated President Joe Biden using artificial intelligence (AI). The call, which appealed to New Hampshire voters to not vote in the presidential primary and save their votes for the general elections to be held in November, sparked investigations and backlash from election officials and watchdogs.

Veteran political consultant Steve Kramer has admitted to commissioning a robocall that impersonated President Joe Biden using artificial intelligence (AI). The call, which appealed to New Hampshire voters to not vote in the presidential primary and save their votes for the general elections to be held in November, sparked investigations and backlash from election officials and watchdogs. Not just the US, in the UK as well there is concern over AI-generated content. Recently, voicing concern over AI generated deepfakes, James Cleverly, the UK home secretary during a recent interview, warned that criminals and "malign actors" working on behalf of malicious states like Russia and Iran could these to hijack the general election. Speaking to the Times, he said that "The era of deepfake and AI-generated content to mislead and disrupt is already in play". A revolutionary hero? In a conversation with NBC News, Kramer, who was reportedly working for a rival Biden candidate, expressed no remorse for the deepfake call. Instead, he compared himself to American Revolutionary heroes Paul Revere and Thomas Paine and claimed that he had planned the call as an act of civil disobedience to highlight the dangers of AI in politics. "This is a way for me to make a difference, and I have," he said, adding "For $500, I got about $5 million worth of action, whether that be media attention or regulatory action." Also read | AI scare for US elections? Fake robocall imitating Biden asks voters not to vote in New Hampshire primary He asserted that the call, which he planned from the start, had nothing to do with his client, Biden's long-shot primary challenger, Dean Phillips, the Democratic representative from Minnesota. The call, made to over 5,000 New Hampshire voters, was reportedly part of Kramer's strategy to draw attention to AI's potential misuse in politics. He acknowledged facing potential legal consequences but said he remained committed to working in politics. As per the report, he said he has received a subpoena from the Federal Communications Commission, and said he suspected that he might get sued by a half-dozen people and could even face jail time. Watch | Fake Joe Biden robocall told voters to stay home for primary election Kramer confirmed that he hired a Texas telemarketing company, Life Co, to distribute the calls, but said they were unaware of the call's content before delivery. "They had no knowledge of the content of this call prior to delivery," Kramer wrote in his statement. "I'd use them again, but they are done with my business." Street magician was the voice of Biden robocall Paul Carpenter, a New Orleans street magician, created the AI-generated audio file replicating Biden's voice for the robocall. He read from a script provided to him by Kramer. Carpenter, paid $150 for the work, believed Kramer was working for the Biden campaign. The call, Kramer stated, aimed to provoke regulatory action and raise awareness about AI's misuse. Also read | Man, allegedly a US Air Force member, sets himself on fire outside Israeli embassy in Washington, DC "Even individuals acting alone can quickly and easily use AI for misleading and disruptive purposes," he said. Authorities in New Hampshire are investigating the call for potential violations of state laws against voter suppression laws, and the Federal Communications Commission has reportedly accelerated plans to outlaw AI robocalls in response to the Biden robocall. Kramer's admission comes after NBC News linked him to the fake Biden robocall. He revealed that he also commissioned an earlier deepfake robocall impersonating Senator Lindsey Graham as a test, which received a significantly higher response rate than an automated call. (With inputs from agencies)

Democratic political consultant Steve Kramer owns up to Biden robocall, says wanted to flag dangers of AI

A robocall, which appeared to be an AI-generated fake voice of United States President Joe Biden, appealed to the voters of New Hampshire to not vote in the presidential primary to be held on Tuesday (Jan 23) and save their votes for the general elections to be held in November.

The call's audio was reviewed by a Western media outlet using the anti-robocall application Nomorobo. As per the tracking data of the rob call, a large volume of such calls were made to different people.

“Republicans have been trying to push nonpartisan and Democratic voters to participate in their primary. What a bunch of malarkey,” said Biden's digitally altered voice.&nbsp;

“We know the value of voting Democratic when our votes count. It’s important that you save your vote for the November election. We’ll need your help in electing Democrats up and down the ticket. Voting this Tuesday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again," the voice said.&nbsp;

A spokesperson for Write-In Biden,&nbsp;Aaron Jacobs said, "This is deep fake disinformation designed to harm Joe Biden, suppress votes and damage our democracy. It is being referred to law enforcement so that they can determine who is responsible and bring them to justice."

He added that the group is "focused on one goal until polls close on Tuesday: encouraging Granite Staters to write-in Joe Biden".

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-joe-biden-shares-video-to-mock-donald-trump-for-haley-pelosi-mix-up-682540">Joe Biden shares video to mock Donald Trump for Haley-Pelosi mix-up</a>

Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, in a statement, said, “This matter has already been referred to the New Hampshire Attorney General, and the campaign is actively discussing additional actions to take immediately. Spreading disinformation to suppress voting and deliberately undermine free and fair elections will not stand, and fighting back against any attempt to undermine our democracy will continue to be a top priority for this campaign."

In a statement, the New Hampshire State Justice Department said, "Although the voice in the robocall sounds like the voice of President Biden, this message appears to be artificially generated based on initial indications," adding that it also appears to have been spoofed, making the call appear to "show that it had been sent by the treasurer of a political committee that has been supporting the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary write-in efforts for President Biden".

The New Hampshire Justice Department advised the state's voters to disregard the message and clarified, "Voting in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election does not preclude a voter from additionally voting in the November General Election." Its Election Law unit is investigating the matter.&nbsp;

<h2>Biden not on New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot</h2>

Biden's name will not appear on the New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot in the current cycle. After accepting the president's request, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) approved a new early primary state schedule which took away from New Hampshire its usual status of being the first presidential primary contest and gave that position to South Carolina.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;US President Biden speaks with Israel's Netanyahu on Gaza situation

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-president-biden-speaks-with-israels-netanyahu-on-gaza-situation-681737/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

South Carolina was Biden's first primary contest which he had ever won in any of his three presidential elections. &nbsp;

In response to the decision of President Biden to skip the New Hampshire primary, more than 100 New Hampshire Democratic leaders launched a campaign for encouraging state Democrats to write-in Biden on primary day, which is allowed and has historical precedent.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A robocall, which appeared to be an AI-generated fake voice of United States President Joe Biden, appealed to the voters of New Hampshire to not vote in the presidential primary to be held on Tuesday (Jan 23) and save their votes for the general elections to be held in November.

A robocall, which appeared to be an AI-generated fake voice of United States President Joe Biden, appealed to the voters of New Hampshire to not vote in the presidential primary to be held on Tuesday (Jan 23) and save their votes for the general elections to be held in November. The call's audio was reviewed by a Western media outlet using the anti-robocall application Nomorobo. As per the tracking data of the rob call, a large volume of such calls were made to different people. “Republicans have been trying to push nonpartisan and Democratic voters to participate in their primary. What a bunch of malarkey,” said Biden's digitally altered voice. “We know the value of voting Democratic when our votes count. It’s important that you save your vote for the November election. We’ll need your help in electing Democrats up and down the ticket. Voting this Tuesday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again," the voice said. A spokesperson for Write-In Biden, Aaron Jacobs said, "This is deep fake disinformation designed to harm Joe Biden, suppress votes and damage our democracy. It is being referred to law enforcement so that they can determine who is responsible and bring them to justice." He added that the group is "focused on one goal until polls close on Tuesday: encouraging Granite Staters to write-in Joe Biden". Also read: Joe Biden shares video to mock Donald Trump for Haley-Pelosi mix-up Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, in a statement, said, “This matter has already been referred to the New Hampshire Attorney General, and the campaign is actively discussing additional actions to take immediately. Spreading disinformation to suppress voting and deliberately undermine free and fair elections will not stand, and fighting back against any attempt to undermine our democracy will continue to be a top priority for this campaign." In a statement, the New Hampshire State Justice Department said, "Although the voice in the robocall sounds like the voice of President Biden, this message appears to be artificially generated based on initial indications," adding that it also appears to have been spoofed, making the call appear to "show that it had been sent by the treasurer of a political committee that has been supporting the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary write-in efforts for President Biden". The New Hampshire Justice Department advised the state's voters to disregard the message and clarified, "Voting in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election does not preclude a voter from additionally voting in the November General Election." Its Election Law unit is investigating the matter. Biden not on New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot Biden's name will not appear on the New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot in the current cycle. After accepting the president's request, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) approved a new early primary state schedule which took away from New Hampshire its usual status of being the first presidential primary contest and gave that position to South Carolina. Watch: US President Biden speaks with Israel's Netanyahu on Gaza situation South Carolina was Biden's first primary contest which he had ever won in any of his three presidential elections. In response to the decision of President Biden to skip the New Hampshire primary, more than 100 New Hampshire Democratic leaders launched a campaign for encouraging state Democrats to write-in Biden on primary day, which is allowed and has historical precedent. (With inputs from agencies)

AI scare for US elections? Fake robocall imitating Biden asks voters not to vote in New Hampshire primary

A US District Court has sentenced two Indian nationals to 41 months in prison for committing wire fraud and illegally obtaining $1.2 million from victims across the United States.

A US District Court has sentenced two Indian nationals to 41 months in prison for committing wire fraud and illegally obtaining $1.2 million from victims across the United States. According to US Attorney Philip R. Selliger, Arushobike Mitra, 29, and Garbita Mitra, 25, were found guilty before US District Judge Esther Salas on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. "These defendants and their conspirators preyed upon some of our most vulnerable citizens, using trickery and threats to coerce them into sending money," Sellinger said at the Newark federal court on Tuesday. The US attorney added, "Protecting our elderly population from these kinds of deceitful robocall scams is a priority of our office. Those who engage in this kind of elder fraud scheme can expect to face justice." He also credited several US government agencies for investigating the case. In addition to the prison terms, Judge Salas sentenced Arushobike Mitra and Garbita Mitra to three years of supervised release. The bench also ordered them to pay $835,324 in restitution. ALSO READ | Anxiety builds among Indian students and residents going to Canada as relations deteriorate The court documented the case as an international fraud scheme where India-based scam centres used automated robocalls to contact victims across the United States with the intent of defrauding them, particularly senior citizens, reported PTI. After the scammers established contact with the victims using these automated calls, they tricked them into sending large amounts of money through physical shipments or wire transfers to other members involved in the fraud, including the Mitras. The scammers used several schemes to persuade victims to send money, like pretending to be officials from government agencies like the Social Security Administration, FBI or DEA. According to the federal prosecutors, they threatened victims with severe legal or financial consequences. ALSO READ | Nawaz Sharif praises Modi, says Pak begging for funds while India has reached the Moon Furthermore, the fraudsters convinced the victims they were from a tech support company, forcing them into providing remote access to their personal computers and confidential information. The scammer pretends to add money to the victim's bank account. But in reality, they transfer money from another victim's accounts. The victim believes that they received extra money. Then, the scammer instructs the victim to send money via mail or wire transfer to members involved in the scam, such as the Mitras. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

US federal court sentences two Indian nationals to 41 months in prison for robocall scam

Are you tired of spam calls? Wondering how to tackle the menace? 48 US states are suing a telecom firm over robocalls. Should other nations follow suit? Molly Gambhir tells you.

Gravitas: Spam Call menace: 48 U.S. states are suing a telecom firm over robocalls

More than 30 major technology and communication companies said on Friday they are joining the US government to crack down on &quot;robocalls,&quot; automated, prerecorded phone calls that regulators have labelled a &quot;scourge.&quot; 
 
AT&amp;T Inc &lt;T.N&gt;, Google parent Alphabet Inc &lt;GOOGL.O&gt;, Apple Inc &lt;AAPL.O&gt;, Verizon Communications Inc &lt;VZ.N&gt; and Comcast Corp &lt;CMCSA.O&gt; are among members of the &quot;Robocall Strike Force&quot; that held its first meeting with the US Federal Communications Commission. 
 
The strike force will report to the FCC by October 19 on &quot;concrete plans to accelerate the development and adoption of new tools and solutions,&quot; said AT&amp;T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson, chairman of the group. 
 
The strike force hopes to implement Caller ID verification standards to help block calls from spoofed phone numbers and consider a &quot;Do Not Originate&quot; list that would block spoofers from impersonating legitimate phone numbers from governments, banks or others. 
 
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in July urged major companies to take new action to block robocalls, which often come from telemarketers or scam artists. 
 
&quot;This scourge must stop,&quot; Wheeler said on Friday, calling robocalls the No. 1 complaint from consumers. 
 
&quot;The bad guys are beating the good guys with technology,&quot; Wheeler said. In the past, he has said robocalls continue &quot;due in large part to industry inaction.&quot; 
 
Stephenson emphasized &quot;the breadth and complexity&quot; of the problem. 
 
&quot;This is going to require more than individual company initiatives and one-off blocking apps,&quot; Stephenson said. &quot;Robocallers are a formidable adversary, notoriously hard to stop.&quot; 
 
The FCC does not require robocall blocking and filtering but has strongly encouraged phone service providers to offer those services at no charge. 
 
The strike force brings together carriers, device makers, operating system developers, network designers and the government. 
 
&quot;We have to come out of this with a comprehensive play book for all of us to go execute,&quot; Stephenson said. &quot;We have calls that are perfectly legal, but unwanted, like telemarketers and public opinion surveyors. At the other end of the spectrum, we have millions of calls that are blatantly illegal.&quot; 
 
Stephenson said technical experts representing the companies have had &quot;preliminary conversations about short- and longer-term initiatives.&quot; 
 
Joan Marsh, AT&amp;T vice president of federal regulatory issues, called the problem complicated. &quot;We have been wrangling with this problem long enough to know there is no silver bullet,&quot; she said. &quot;Nothing by itself is going to do it.&quot; 
 
Other companies taking part include Blackberry Ltd &lt;BB.TO&gt;, British Telecommunications Plc [BTCOM.UL], Charter Communications Inc &lt;CHTR.O&gt;, Frontier Communications &lt;FTR.O&gt;, LG Electronics Inc &lt;066570.KS&gt;, Microsoft Corp &lt;MSFT.O&gt;, Nokia Corp &lt;NOKIA.HE&gt;, Qualcomm Inc &lt;QCOM.O&gt;, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd &lt;005930.KS&gt;, Sirius XM Holdings Inc &lt;SIRI.O&gt;, T-Mobile US Inc &lt;TMUS.O&gt; and U.S. Cellular Corp &lt;USM.N&gt;. 
 
Consumers Union, a public advocacy group, said the task force is a sign &quot;phone companies are taking more serious steps to protect their customers from unwanted calls.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

The strike force hopes to implement Caller ID verification standards to help block calls from spoofed phone numbers

More than 30 major technology and communication companies said on Friday they are joining the US government to crack down on "robocalls," automated, prerecorded phone calls that regulators have labelled a "scourge." AT&T Inc <T.N>, Google parent Alphabet Inc <GOOGL.O>, Apple Inc <AAPL.O>, Verizon Communications Inc <VZ.N> and Comcast Corp <CMCSA.O> are among members of the "Robocall Strike Force" that held its first meeting with the US Federal Communications Commission. The strike force will report to the FCC by October 19 on "concrete plans to accelerate the development and adoption of new tools and solutions," said AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson, chairman of the group. The strike force hopes to implement Caller ID verification standards to help block calls from spoofed phone numbers and consider a "Do Not Originate" list that would block spoofers from impersonating legitimate phone numbers from governments, banks or others. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in July urged major companies to take new action to block robocalls, which often come from telemarketers or scam artists. "This scourge must stop," Wheeler said on Friday, calling robocalls the No. 1 complaint from consumers. "The bad guys are beating the good guys with technology," Wheeler said. In the past, he has said robocalls continue "due in large part to industry inaction." Stephenson emphasized "the breadth and complexity" of the problem. "This is going to require more than individual company initiatives and one-off blocking apps," Stephenson said. "Robocallers are a formidable adversary, notoriously hard to stop." The FCC does not require robocall blocking and filtering but has strongly encouraged phone service providers to offer those services at no charge. The strike force brings together carriers, device makers, operating system developers, network designers and the government. "We have to come out of this with a comprehensive play book for all of us to go execute," Stephenson said. "We have calls that are perfectly legal, but unwanted, like telemarketers and public opinion surveyors. At the other end of the spectrum, we have millions of calls that are blatantly illegal." Stephenson said technical experts representing the companies have had "preliminary conversations about short- and longer-term initiatives." Joan Marsh, AT&T vice president of federal regulatory issues, called the problem complicated. "We have been wrangling with this problem long enough to know there is no silver bullet," she said. "Nothing by itself is going to do it." Other companies taking part include Blackberry Ltd <BB.TO>, British Telecommunications Plc [BTCOM.UL], Charter Communications Inc <CHTR.O>, Frontier Communications <FTR.O>, LG Electronics Inc <066570.KS>, Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O>, Nokia Corp <NOKIA.HE>, Qualcomm Inc <QCOM.O>, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS>, Sirius XM Holdings Inc <SIRI.O>, T-Mobile US Inc <TMUS.O> and U.S. Cellular Corp <USM.N>. Consumers Union, a public advocacy group, said the task force is a sign "phone companies are taking more serious steps to protect their customers from unwanted calls." (Reuters)

AT&T, Apple, Google to work on 'robocall' crackdown

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