In January of 2024, Steven Kramer orchestrated the sending of an AI-generated deepfake to voters in New Hampshire. Essentially, he had the voice of Joe Biden urge voters to skip the state’s primary and “save their vote for November”. His stated intent was to alert people to the dangers of AI, as he was “worried about the lack of regulations”.

While AI may be poorly regulated right now, many other laws do still exist, and some of them are even enforced. So it was that Kramer was brought up on charges of felony voter suppression as well as candidate impersonation, and was potentially facing up to 88 years in prison. Last week, he was acquitted, avoiding that jail time. Time will tell if anything comes regarding his broader point about the lack of AI regulation.

What I’m most stuck on, however, is this quote:

“This is going to be my one good deed this year,” [Kramer] recalled while testifying in Belknap County Superior Court.

I’ve heard of a good deed for the day, but your one good deed for the year? Let’s all set our sights a little higher.