Political Consultant Fined $6M for Faking Biden's Voice in N.H. Robocalls
- Steve Kramer was fined $6 million by the FCC for creating a deceptive robocall using AI to impersonate President Biden.
- The robocall misled New Hampshire voters during the Democratic primary, where Kramer was working for Rep. Dean Phillips, who condemned the actions.
- Kramer's defense was that he aimed to raise awareness about AI's risks, but the incident has sparked serious concerns about electoral integrity.
The Federal Communications Commission has imposed a $6 million fine on political consultant Steve Kramer for his involvement in a deceptive robocall campaign targeting voters in New Hampshire. This incident occurred during the Democratic primary, where Kramer used artificial intelligence to create a recording that mimicked President Biden's voice, misleading voters into believing he was advising them against participating in the election. At the time, Kramer was working for Rep. Dean Phillips, who was running against Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination. Phillips publicly condemned Kramer's actions, asserting that he had no knowledge of the robocall and deemed the behavior unacceptable. Kramer defended his actions by claiming that his intention was to raise awareness about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence rather than to influence the election outcome. He reportedly paid a magician to produce the recording, which has raised significant ethical concerns regarding the use of AI in political campaigns and the integrity of the electoral process.