In Laconia, New Hampshire, a political consultant expressed confidence to a jury on Wednesday that he did not engage in illegal activities when he dispatched robocalls to voters. These calls used artificial intelligence to mimic the voice of former President Joe Biden. The consultant, Steven Kramer, aged 56 from New Orleans, has admitted to being responsible for this initiative, conducted two days ahead of the state’s January 23, 2024, presidential primary.
Recipients of the calls heard an AI-generated voice that closely resembled that of the Democratic president. The message included Biden’s well-known phrase, “What a bunch of malarkey,” and, according to prosecutors, it misleadingly implied that participating in the primary would prevent voters from voting in the November election. The calls stated, “It’s important that you save your vote for the November election,” emphasizing that votes were crucial in November and not “this Tuesday.”
Kramer, who is now fighting charges related to voter suppression and impersonating a candidate—a conviction that could lead to decades of imprisonment—claimed his intention was to highlight the potential risks posed by AI. The recording was created for $150 by a magician from New Orleans. Kramer was concerned about the unregulated use of AI in campaigns, and he decided to take action as part of his New Year’s resolution to address this issue. He described his initiative as “my one good deed this year” while testifying in Belknap County Superior Court.
Kramer maintained that he had no intention of influencing the election, as he did not regard the primary as an authentic electoral event. This perspective arose following the Democratic National Committee’s decision, prompted by President Biden, to remove New Hampshire from its early position in the 2024 nominating schedule. Despite this, the threat to exclude the state’s national convention delegates was eventually abandoned. President Biden had not officially registered for the ballot nor campaigned in New Hampshire but succeeded in the primary through write-in votes.
Kramer, who operates a firm focused on mobilizing voter turnout, perceived the primary as a trivial straw poll that was not sanctioned by the DNC. He stated that at the time of the calls, voters felt disenfranchised. When questioned by his lawyer, Tom Reid, about the legality of his actions, Kramer confidently declared, “I’m positive I did not” violate any laws. He further claimed that his actions might have contributed to the establishment of AI regulations in various states.
On Thursday, prosecutors are set to continue questioning Kramer, who is also confronting a $6 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission. However, he asserted on Wednesday that he does not intend to pay the fine. Meanwhile, Lingo Telecom, the company responsible for transmitting the calls, agreed to a $1 million settlement in August.
The robocalls bore the guise of coming from former New Hampshire Democratic Party chair, Kathy Sullivan, instructing voters to call her number to opt out of the call list. Sullivan testified earlier on Wednesday that she was initially confused, then outraged, upon conversing with one of the call recipients and later hearing the message. “I hung up the phone and said, ‘There is something really crazy going on,’” she testified. “Someone is trying to suppress the vote for Biden. I can’t believe this is happening.”
Months passed before Sullivan received a call from Kramer, during which he explained that he used her number, confident she would notify law enforcement and the media. He reiterated his motive, which was to alert the public about AI’s potential dangers, yet she remained skeptical. “My sense was he was trying to convince me that he’d done this defensible, good thing,” Sullivan testified. “I’m listening to this thinking to myself, ‘What does he think I am, stupid?’ He tried to suppress the vote.”