Deepfake Audio of Biden Supposed to Highlight Need for AI Rules, Robocall Mastermind Says

The deepfake audio clips of U.S. President Joe Biden were supposed to emphasize the need for AI regulation, the person behind the recent robocalls from the president claims.

Democrat political consultant Steve Kramer told CBS News that he only commissioned for the deepfakes to gain the attention of the Federal Communication Commission and local governments about the danger of AI in political campaigns.

Kramer said he only spent $500 to disseminate the robocalls to "just under 5,000" registered residents in New Hampshire listed as "most likely Democrats."

The robocalls featured a deepfake audio clip of the president telling residents not to attend the Democratic party's first primary in New Hampshire.

The political consultant has only disclosed the reason for the robocalls after New Hampshire officials identified him days following the robocalls were first reported.

The FCC has since prohibited the use of AI-generated voices and deepfakes in spam and robocalls.

AI Controversies Surround Presidential Candidate Dean Phillips

Kramer serves as an adviser for several Democrats, including presidential candidate Dean Phillips.

This marks the second time someone affiliated with Phillips was stopped from using AI to promote the candidate. The first time was with OpenAI removed a chatbot impersonating Philips on its GPT platform.

Phillips denied involvement to both incidents. The Minnesota 3rd District representative has already removed Kramer as his consultant, condemning Kramer for his actions.