Steve Kramer, an American political consultant who works for the campaign of Democrat Dean Phillips, said he was behind automated and rigged calls, impersonating the voice of US President Joe Biden.
The artificial intelligence (AI)-generated robocall encouraged voters not to vote in New Hampshire's Democratic primaries in January and is under investigation for "illegally attempting to disrupt" a vote.
The incident has exacerbated the fears of authorities, experts and associations who fear an explosion of audio or video montages for disinformation purposes during the American presidential election and other major elections which will take place around the world this year.
A ploy to draw attention to the dangers of AI
Steve Kramer, a consultant employed by Minnesota congressman and Democratic primary candidate Dean Phillips, told NBC News on Sunday that he had hired a magician from New Orleans, Paul Carpenter, to imitate Joe Biden's voice using an AI tool.
He explained that the ploy was intended to draw attention to the dangers that AI poses in politics.
“It’s a way for me to make a difference, and that’s what I did,” he told NBC.
“For $500, I did a deal worth about $5 million, whether it was the media attention or the reaction from the authorities.
»
The fake phone message, written by Steve Kramer, began with “What a load of rubbish!”
», a favorite expression of the president.
“It is important that you save your vote for the November election,” the fake voice continued.
“Voting this Tuesday only allows Republicans to elect Donald Trump again.
Your vote will make the difference in November, not this Tuesday.
»
“I’m glad he confessed.”
Steve Kramer clarified that the robocall was made without the knowledge of Dean Phillips' campaign.
"I'm glad he confessed."
America should already have safeguards in place to prevent harmful uses of AI,” said this Democratic candidate on X (formerly Twitter).
Glad he spanked-up.
America should already have AI guardrails in place to prevent its nefarious use.
The next generation of executive leadership must better anticipate and prepare for the future.
https://t.co/ce5k0NioeD
— Dean Phillips (@deanbphillips) February 25, 2024
The consultant indicated that he had received a subpoena from the American telecoms regulator (FCC).
He expects to face legal action.
Earlier this month, the FCC decided to ban robocalls made with voices generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) program, in order to combat the increasingly sophisticated scams enabled by this technology.