Report: Magician Takes Responsibility for Biden Deepfake

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Facts

  • A New Orleans-based magician named Paul Carpenter has claimed that Democratic consultant Steve Kramer paid him to create the fake audio of Pres. Joe Biden calling on New Hampshire voters not to vote in the state's Jan. 23, 2024 primary.1
  • Carpenter alleges Kramer — who recently worked for Biden's primary opponent Dean Phillips — paid him $150 via Venmo to use AI to create the deepfake audio that was sent out as a robocall to voters ahead of the primary. Carpenter says he has Venmo receipts.2
  • The Phillips campaign — which denies any role in the creation of the deepfake and had paid Kramer nearly $260K for his consultancy in December and January — cut ties with him in mid-February following the robocall allegations.3
  • Carpenter, who has held world records for the fastest straight jacket escapes and most fork bends in under a minute, said he was able to create the AI-generated audio in 20 minutes for just $1 by using software from the AI company ElevenLabs.4
  • Kramer allegedly also asked the magician to create fake audios of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). After news of the calls broke on Jan. 22, he reportedly texted Carpenter 'Shhhhhhh' and later called him to tell him to delete their emails, which contained scripts for the robocalls.3
  • The fake audio, which reached thousands of voters, prompted New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella to investigate Texas-based company Life Corp., for allegedly sending it out. Kramer says he will respond in an 'op-ed.'5

Sources: 1Forbes, 2NBC, 3New York Post, 4Guardian and 5Washington Examiner.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Huffington Post. This case should serve as a warning of how AI can be used to interfere in future elections. Luckily, Biden was still able to win with his write-in campaign despite not being on the ballot and this robocall discouraging people from voting. Law enforcement and the Federal Communication Commission — which have each taken positive action — should be on high alert moving forward.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. This was an obvious criminal action, and whoever was responsible should be held accountable. But one can't ignore that Democrats brought this on themselves with their decision to defy New Hampshire's pleas and instead change the primary schedule. Biden wasn't on the ballot, so a more effective bit of bad-faith Democratic Party malfeasance could have led to an embarrassing loss for the president.

Predictions