The Federal Communications Commission has issued a $6 million fine against a political consultant who sent AI-generated robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden's voice to voters ahead of New Hampshire's presidential primary.
Rockingham County resident Steven Kramer also faces indictments for bribing, intimidation, and suppression in multiple New Hampshire counties where people say they received the robocalls, WMUR reported.
The robocalls used artificial intelligence to duplicate the sound of Biden's voice and said: "Voting … only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again. Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday."
"It sounded like Joe Biden, and I was like, that's weird, and then as I listened more, I'm like, it doesn't really sound like Joe Biden," Krista Zurek, who received a call, told WMUR.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said regulators are committed to helping states go after perpetrators. In a statement, she called the robocalls "unnerving."
"Because when a caller sounds like a politician you know, a celebrity you like, or a family member who is familiar, any one of us could be tricked into believing something that is not true with calls using AI technology," she said in a statement. "It is exactly how the bad actors behind these junk calls with manipulated voices want you to react."
Kramer has been defiant about his actions, saying he sent out the calls to show there needed to be more regulation on artificial intelligence, WMUR said. He told investigators to "bring it," WMUR reported.
NBC News reported that it took less than 20 minutes to create the fake audio and cost just $1, according to a New Orleans magician who worked on the call. He said he was paid $150 and shared Venmo payments from Kramer and his father, Bruce Kramer.
Kramer had previously been contacted by Dean Phillips' presidential campaign, though Kramer and the Phillips campaign said they had no knowledge of the robocalls, WMUR said.
According to records from the Federal Election Commission, Kramer was paid $259,946 by the Phillips' campaign for ballot access work in December and January.
Kramer, a longtime political operative, worked for numerous campaigns over 20 years, including the 2020 presidential campaign of Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, NBC News said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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