An artificial intelligence-generated robocaller who impersonated former President Joe Biden and delivered it to New Hampshire Democrats last year was cleared on Friday of voting suppression and candidate impersonation charges.
Two days prior to New Orleans’ presidential primary on January 23, 2024, Steven Kramer, 56, acknowledged planning a message that was distributed to thousands of voters. An AI-generated voice that resembled the Democratic president’s was heard by the recipients. It utilized his catchphrase, “What a bunch of malarkey,” and, according to the prosecution, implied that voting in the primary would prevent voters from voting in November.
Voters were encouraged to conserve their votes for the November election. “Your votes make a difference in November, not this Tuesday.”
Kramer, who risked decades in jail if convicted, claimed that he hired a New Orleans magician $150 to construct the recording as a wake-up call about the possible perils of artificial intelligence. He was receiving numerous calls from people using AI in campaigns, and concerned about the lack of regulations, he made it his New Year’s resolution to take action.
This will be my one nice act this year, he stated while testifying in Belknap County Superior Court. The calls, according to the prosecution, were an assault on the primary’s integrity, while Kramer’s defense attempted to focus the indignation on the DNC.
New Hampshire was removed from its customary early position in the 2024 nomination calendar at Biden’s request, but the DNC eventually backed off from its threat to not seat the state’s delegates to the national convention. Biden won as a write-in candidate despite not having his name on the ballot or campaign there.
According to Kramer, who runs a company that specializes in get-out-the-vote initiatives, the primary was a pointless straw poll that was not approved by the DNC, therefore the state’s voter suppression legislation was not applicable. Additionally, the defense argued that he did not mimic a contender because Biden was not a declared primary candidate and his name was not included in the mail.
Jurors reportedly concurred, clearing him of 11 felony voting suppression counts, each of which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in jail. Each of the 11 candidate impersonation counts had a potential prison term of one year.
In a statement, Attorney General John M. Formella of New Hampshire stated, “We are still committed to upholding election laws.” “We will keep up our hard effort to safeguard the integrity of our elections by tackling the threats presented by cutting-edge technology, such as artificial intelligence.
The Federal Communications Commission has also fined Kramer $6 million, but Kramer told The Associated Press he will not pay the amount. In August, the business that handled the call transmission, Lingo Telecom, agreed to pay $1 million in settlement.
The agency, which did not reply to requests for comment, was preparing AI-related guidelines when Donald Trump was elected president, but it has since showed hints of a tilt toward looser standards. And, while several states have passed legislation banning AI deepfakes in political campaigns, House Republicans in Congress recently included a provision to their signature tax bill that would prohibit states and cities from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade.
