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

Veteran political consultant Steve Kramer has admitted to commissioning a robocall that impersonated President Joe Biden using artificial intelligence (AI). The call, which appealed toNew Hampshirevotersto not vote in the presidential primaryand 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".

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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."

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.

"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)