The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a $6 million fine against political consultant Steve Kramer for using illegal deepfake AI technology and caller ID spoofing in robocalls during the New Hampshire primaries. Kramer must pay the fine within 30 days, or the Department of Justice will handle collection. Kramer violated a 2009 law prohibiting misleading caller identification with intent to defraud, and the FCC unanimously extended this law to cover deepfake technology in February. The robocalls, featuring a fake President Biden urging New Hampshire residents not to vote in the primary, were traced back to Kramer, who hired magician Paul Carpenter to create the recordings using an AI voice generator. Kramer claims he sent the robocalls as an experiment to raise awareness about misuse of technology, but now faces not only the FCC fine but also criminal charges for voter suppression and impersonation of a candidate. Carpenter’s account with ElevenLabs, the AI voice generator used for the recordings, has been shut down.
