FCC Bans AI-Generated Robocalls
The Federal Communications Commission said this on Thursday banned unwanted robocalls generated by artificial intelligenceamid growing concerns about election disinformation and consumer fraud enabled by the technology.
The FCC's unanimous decision cited a 30-year-old law aimed at curbing junk phone calls, and clarified that AI-generated spam calls are also illegal. By doing so, the agency said it increases states' ability to prosecute makers of unsolicited spam robocalls.
“It seems like something from the distant future, but it is already here,” FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Bad actors are using AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls to extort vulnerable family members, impersonate celebrities, and misinform voters.”
Concerns about the use of AI to imitate the voices and images of politicians and celebrities have increased in recent months as the technology to mimic personas has boomed – especially in the run-up to the US presidential election in November.
Those concerns came to a head late last month, when thousands of voters received an unsolicited robocall from a fake vote of President Biden, instructing voters to abstain from voting during the first primaries of the election season. The Attorney General's Office announced this week that it has opened a criminal investigation into a Texas-based company it believes is behind the robocall. The caller ID was spoofed to make it appear as if the calls were coming from the former chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.
AI has also been used to create deep-fake videos and advertisements that mimic the voices and images of celebrities and politicians. That includes fake and unapproved videos of actor Tom Hanks promoting dental plans and one with sexually explicit content of singer Taylor Swift.
Lawmakers have called for legislation to ban AI spoofs in political ads, but no bills are gaining traction in Congress. In the vacuum of federal law, more than a dozen states have passed laws restricting the use of AI in political advertising.