Political consultant behind fake Biden robocalls says he was trying to highlight a need for AI rules

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The political consultant behind a robocall that mimicked President Joe Biden’s voice said Monday he was trying to send a wake-up call about the potential malign uses of artificial intelligence, not influence the outcome of last month’s New Hampshire primary.

Steve Kramer, in an interview days after he was publicly identified as the source of the calls, confirmed paying a New Orleans street magician $150 to create a recorded message that was sent to thousands of voters two days before the first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23. The messages played a voice similar to Biden’s that used his phrase “What a bunch of malarkey,” and falsely suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting a ballot in November.

“Maybe I’m a villain today, but I think in the end we get a better country and better democracy because of what I’ve done, deliberately,” Kramer said.

New Hampshire authorities have been investigating the calls as a potential violation of the state’s voter suppression law.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Trump is winning big with his base, but there’s no sign that he’s broadening support <use xlink:href="#play-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»> </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Magician says political consultant hired him to create AI robocall ahead of New Hampshire primary <use xlink:href="#play-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»> </bsp-custom-headline>