(San Francisco) A US political consultant working for a little-known Democratic Party campaign has said he was behind automated and fraudulent calls, spoofed as US President Joe Biden's voice.
An artificial intelligence (AI)-generated robocall encouraged voters not to vote in New Hampshire's Democratic primaries in January and is under investigation for “attempting to illegally disrupt” the poll.
The incident has heightened the fears of officials, experts and associations who fear that audio or video montages will explode for disinformation purposes during the US presidential election and other major elections around the world this year.
Steve Kramer, a consultant hired by Minnesota congressman and Democratic primary candidate Dean Phillips, told NBC News on Sunday that he hired New Orleans magician Paul Carpenter to imitate Joe Biden's voice using an AI tool.
He explained that the tactic was to draw attention to the dangers AI could pose in politics.
“It was 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 reaction from the authorities. »
Mr. The fake phone message written by Kramer began: “What a load of garbage!” », the President's favorite expression.
“It's important to save your vote for the November election,” the fake voice continued. “Voting this Tuesday only allows Republicans to re-elect Donald Trump. Your vote will make a difference in November, not this Tuesday. »
Mr. Mr. Kramer said Phillips' campaign was unknowingly robocalled.
“I'm glad he agreed.” America should already have safeguards in place to prevent harmful uses of AI,” the Democratic nominee said at X.
Counsel indicated that he had received a subpoena from the US Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (FCC). He anticipates legal action.
Earlier this month, the FCC decided to ban robocalls made with voices generated by artificial intelligence (AI) programming, in an effort to combat increasingly sophisticated scams driven by the technology.
“Certified food fanatic. Extreme internet guru. Gamer. Evil beeraholic. Zombie ninja. Problem solver. Unapologetic alcohol lover.”
