Phillips Operative Not Sorry For Fake Biden Robocalls

NBC News reports:

Steve Kramer, a veteran political consultant working for a rival candidate, acknowledged Sunday that he commissioned the robocall impersonating President Joe Biden with artificial intelligence, confirming an NBC News report that he was behind the call.

Kramer expressed no remorse for creating the deepfake, in which an imitation of the president’s voice discouraged participation in New Hampshire’s Democratic presidential primary. The call launched several law enforcement investigations and provoked outcry from election officials and watchdogs.

Kramer did not say he was directed to make the call by his client at the time, the campaign of Biden’s longshot primary challenger. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., had paid Kramer over $250,000 around the time the robocall went out in January, according to his campaign finance reports.

Read the full article. Phillips says he had no knowledge of the robocalls and would have fired Kramer for suggesting such a plan.

NEW: A Democratic operative admits to commissioning a fake robocall that used AI to imitate President Biden and targeted New Hampshire voters. https://t.co/QDGQ618eom

— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) February 25, 2024

Glad he fessed-up.

America should already have AI guardrails in place to prevent its nefarious use.

The next generation of executive leadership must better anticipate and prepare for the future. https://t.co/ce5k0NioeD

— Dean Phillips (@deanbphillips) February 25, 2024