A US Democratic consultant hired a magician from the state of Louisiana to use artificial intelligence (AI) to create a telephone call using an impersonation of President Joe Biden, according to NBC News.
The magician, Paul Carpenter, claims he was hired by Steve Kramer in January to use AI software to mimic Biden's voice to discourage Democrats in the state of New Hampshire from voting in that state's primary.
Kramer previously worked on ballot access for Democratic candidate Dean Phillips.
"I was in a situation where someone offered me some money to do something, and I did it. There was no malicious intent. I didn't know how it was going to be distributed," said Carpenter.
He said creating the fake voice took less than 20 minutes and it cost $1.
"It's so scary that it's this easy to do," said the magician from New Orleans. "People are not ready for it."
The robocall is under scrutiny by New Hampshire and federal law enforcement officials for potential violations of voter suppression and telecom laws.
Authorities are investigating a company in the state of Texas responsible for the calls. Officials are determined to set a precedent against such misuse of AI-generated deepfakes in American politics.
Carpenter and Kramer are not identified as targets of the investigation.
