Steve Cramer, an American political consultant working for the campaign of Democrat Dean Phillips, said he was behind automated and spoofed calls impersonating the voice of US President Joe Biden.
An artificial intelligence (AI)-generated robocall urged voters not to vote in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary in January and is under investigation for an “illegal attempt to disrupt” the vote.
The incident has heightened concerns among authorities, experts and associations who fear a surge in audio and video editing for disinformation during the US presidential election and other major elections around the world this year.
A ploy to draw attention to the dangers of AI
Steve Cramer, a consultant hired by Minnesota congressman and Democratic candidate Dean Phillips, told NBC News on Sunday that he hired New Orleans magician Paul Carpenter to imitate Joe Biden’s voice using an artificial intelligence tool. He explained that the ploy was intended to draw attention to the dangers that AI poses in politics.
“This is a way for me to make a difference, and that’s what I did,” he told NBC. “For $500, I made a deal worth about $5 million, whether it was media attention or government reaction. »
The fake phone message, written by Steve Kramer, began with the words: “What nonsense!” “, the president’s favorite expression.
“It’s important to preserve your vote in the November election,” the fake voice continued. “This Tuesday’s vote will only allow Republicans to elect Donald Trump again. Your vote will make the difference in November, not this Tuesday. »
“I’m glad he confessed.”
Steve Cramer 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 the harmful use of AI,” the Democratic candidate said on X (formerly Twitter).
The consultant reported that he had received a subpoena from the US telecommunications regulator (FCC). He expects a trial.
Earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission decided to ban robocalls using voices generated by artificial intelligence (AI) software to combat increasingly sophisticated scams carried out using the technology.
Source: Le Parisien
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
