All articles tagged with #robocall
Political consultant Steve Kramer faces a $6 million fine from the FCC and criminal charges in New Hampshire for creating a deepfake robocall using AI to impersonate President Biden, urging voters not to participate in the primary. The incident highlights the growing concerns over AI's potential for fraud and manipulation in elections.
Political consultant Steve Kramer has been fined $6 million and faces multiple criminal charges for using AI to deepfake Joe Biden's voice in a robocall urging voters to stay home during the 2024 Democratic primary. The incident, the first reported use of a deepfake in US presidential politics, has led the FCC to ban AI-generated voices in robocalls. Kramer claims the stunt was to highlight the need for AI regulation.
Political consultant Steve Kramer has been indicted in New Hampshire for creating a deepfake robocall impersonating Joe Biden's voice, urging voters to stay home during the primary. Kramer faces multiple charges, including bribery and voter suppression. He claims his intent was to prompt stricter AI regulations. The incident has sparked significant concern over the misuse of AI in politics.
CNN's Kyung Lah investigates a deepfake phone call of President Biden sent to 20,000 New Hampshire residents before the primary, highlighting the potential impact of AI on future elections.
Democratic political operative Steve Kramer admitted to commissioning a robocall featuring an AI imitation of Joe Biden discouraging voters from participating in the New Hampshire presidential primary. Kramer used an AI firm to create the voice clone and paid a magician $150 to imitate Biden's voice. The robocall remains under law enforcement investigation, and the US government has since outlawed automated calls using AI-generated voices. Kramer's client, Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips, has accused him of commissioning the robocall without permission, and the magician involved has expressed regret over his role in the affair, stating that it would take mere minutes for anyone to learn how to make similar voice imitations.
A former consultant for Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips’ campaign admitted to orchestrating a fake robocall using an AI-generated voice of President Joe Biden to discourage New Hampshire voters from participating in the state’s primary. The consultant, Steve Kramer, revealed that he used an AI tool to create the fake audio, which was distributed by a Texas-based company. The incident has prompted law enforcement investigations and concerns about the impact of AI on American politics, leading to proposed legislation to make AI-generated robocalls illegal and increased fines for violations. Phillips’ campaign confirmed Kramer's previous contract work but denied knowledge of his involvement in the robocall, while Kramer claimed his actions have prompted necessary regulatory changes.
A New Orleans street magician, Paul Carpenter, found himself at the center of an AI political scandal after creating an AI-generated robocall imitating President Joe Biden's voice, which urged Democrats to skip voting in the New Hampshire primary. Carpenter, who has never voted, claimed he was hired by a political consultant working for the campaign of Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips. The robocall has sparked law enforcement investigations and concerns about AI's impact on American politics. The consultant, Steve Kramer, has been linked to the call and has a history of producing robocalls, but Phillips' campaign has distanced itself from him. Carpenter, who says he didn't realize the political implications of his work, feels duped and used by Kramer.
A magician claims a Democratic operative paid him to use artificial intelligence to impersonate President Joe Biden for a robocall, while Republicans experienced political whiplash on IVF this week. The GOP struggled to offer a unified response to a ruling on embryos created through in vitro fertilization, prompting a rush of support for IVF from Republican candidates. Meanwhile, President Biden announced over 500 sanctions on Russia, the Pentagon is considering using the crash-prone V-22 Osprey aircraft again, and California's unique primary system is causing concerns among progressives.
A New Orleans magician claims he was hired by a Democratic consultant to create an AI-generated robocall mimicking President Joe Biden's voice, which was used to discourage voters from supporting Biden in New Hampshire's primary. The consultant, Steve Kramer, allegedly paid the magician to produce the call, which violated state voter suppression laws. The Phillips campaign, for which Kramer worked, disavowed the calls and stated that the payment was for ballot assistance in other states. Authorities are investigating the matter, and the magician is considering legal action against Kramer. The robocall falsely suggested that voting in the primary would prevent voters from casting a ballot in the general election, and it appeared to come from a former state Democratic Party chair's personal cellphone number.
The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips is distancing itself from consultant Steve Kramer, who allegedly commissioned a robocall using AI to impersonate President Joe Biden during the New Hampshire primary election. The call urged voters not to vote in the primary and save their vote for the November election. Phillips's campaign confirmed Kramer's involvement in ballot efforts but stated they had no knowledge of his reported involvement with the robocall. The campaign denounced Kramer's alleged actions and confirmed he is no longer working for them. New Hampshire's attorney general has linked the call to a criminal investigation, and senior US law enforcement officials are monitoring the incident.
A New Orleans magician claims he used AI to create an audio recording of Joe Biden for a robocall, stating he was paid by a consultant for Dean Phillips' campaign. The magician provided evidence of payment and involvement, but denies distributing the call. The robocall is under investigation, and the use of AI-generated voices in robocalls has been outlawed. The Phillips campaign disavowed any involvement and federal records show payments to the consultant. The magician, known for world records and as a "digital nomad artist," has no fixed address and is based in New Orleans.
A robocall using an AI voice resembling President Joe Biden's was linked to Texas-based companies Life Corporation and Lingo Telecom, with owner Walter Monk identified by New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella. The investigation is ongoing, and a cease-and-desist letter has been issued to Life Corporation. The fake audio was created using an AI voice creation tool named ElevenLabs. The FCC has previously issued warnings to Lingo Telecom and Life Corporation for apparent illegal robocall violations. More than 50 attorneys general have expressed concerns about the deepfake calls, and senior US law enforcement officials are monitoring the incident to determine if a federal crime was committed.
Researchers believe that the recent deepfake robocall impersonating President Joe Biden in New Hampshire was likely created using technology from AI startup ElevenLabs, which recently achieved unicorn status with an $80 million funding round. Despite the company's policy recommending permission before cloning voices, it acknowledges that permissionless cloning can be acceptable for non-commercial purposes like political speech. Security company Pindrop's analysis points to ElevenLabs' technology, and UC Berkeley's independent analysis supports this conclusion. The incident highlights the potential for malicious use of AI voice cloning technology, and the need for effective safeguards as the 2024 election season approaches.
The New Hampshire attorney general's office is investigating a robocall that used a voice resembling President Biden's to discourage voters from participating in the state's presidential primary. The call, sent on Sunday, falsely suggested it was from a political committee treasurer encouraging voters to write in Biden's name on the ballot. The Biden campaign condemned the calls as part of a disinformation effort, while election experts expressed concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on future campaigns.
A fake robocall, featuring a digitally-altered voice resembling President Joe Biden, is urging New Hampshire residents not to vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary and to save their vote for the November general election. The call, which uses spoofing to display a false phone number, has prompted complaints and accusations of voter suppression. Both Biden's campaign and supporters of the write-in effort are denouncing the call, with the New Hampshire Attorney General's office involved in investigating the matter.