Magician says political consultant hired him to create AI robocall

CONCORD, N.H. >> A New Orleans street magician said Friday that a Democratic consultant who worked for Dean Phillips’ presidential campaign hired him to create the audio for what authorities have said may be the first known attempt to use artificial intelligence to interfere with a U.S. election.

Paul Carpenter, who specializes in card tricks and illusions, told The Associated Press he was hired by Steve Kramer to use AI to mimic

President Joe Biden’s voice for the robocalls. He said he was surprised to learn later that the call was used in an attempt to discourage people from voting for Biden in New Hampshire’s firstin-the-nation primary last month.

“I created the gun. I didn’t shoot it,” he said.

New Hampshire authorities have said the recorded message, sent to thousands of voters two days before the Jan. 23 election, violated the state’s voter suppression laws. They have issued cease-and-desist orders to two Texas companies they believe were involved. The connection to the Louisiana magician was first reported by NBC News.

A spokesperson for Attorney General John Formella declined to comment Friday on whether investigators are looking into Carpenter or Kramer, saying only that the investigation continues.

The Phillips campaign denounced the calls and Kramer’s alleged actions, saying the $260,000 it paid him in December and January was for help getting on the ballot in New York and Pennsylvania.

“If it is true that Mr. Kramer had any involvement in the creation of deepfake robocalls, he did so of his own volition which had nothing to do with our campaign,” spokeswoman Katie Dolan said in an emailed statement. “The fundamental notion of our campaign is the importance of competition, choice, and democracy. We are disgusted to learn that Mr. Kramer is allegedly behind this call, and if the allegations are true, we absolutely denounce his actions.”

Reached by text, Kramer referred questions Friday to his spokesman, political consultant Hank Sheinkopf, who declined to comment.

Liz Purdy, a senior adviser for the Biden-Harris campaign in New Hampshire, said it supports efforts to hold accountable anyone who attempts to disrupt elections and remains “hyper vigilant” to disinformation threats.

In his interview with the AP, Carpenter described himself as a transient “digital nomad” who travels by motorcycle with his longhaired dachshund, Moose. He describes the dog as a “psychiatric support animal” helping him cope with the trauma of having been hit by gunfire several years ago in New Orleans, when a dispute broke out among acquaintances.

Carpenter said he does close-up magic tricks — including illusions in which he seems to bend spoons and forks at will — on the streets and at conventions. He told NBC that he holds world records in fork-bending and straitjacket escapes.

He also travels with a beat-up laptop and other electronic equipment he uses to create social media content and projects related to digital assets known as NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.