The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday outlawed unwanted robocalls generated by artificial intelligence amid growing concerns about election disinformation and consumer fraud caused by artificial intelligence.
The FCC's unanimous decision clarified that AI-generated spam calls are also illegal, citing a 30-year-old law aimed at curbing nuisance calls. This expands states' ability to prosecute authors of unsolicited spam robocalls, officials said.
“It may seem like a distant future, but it is already here,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Bad actors are using AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls to blackmail vulnerable families, imitate celebrities, and misinform voters. .”
Concerns about the use of AI to replicate the voices and images of politicians and celebrities have grown in recent months as technology to recreate personas becomes more widespread, especially ahead of the US presidential election in November. .
Those concerns surfaced late last month when thousands of voters received unsolicited robocalls from a fake voice from President Biden, instructing them to refrain from voting in the first primary of the election season. The state attorney general's office announced this week that it has opened a criminal investigation into a Texas-based company believed to be behind the robocalls. The caller ID was spoofed to make it appear as though the call was from the former New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman.
AI is also being used to create deepfake videos and advertisements that mimic sounds and images. These include a fake, unauthorized video of actor Tom Hanks promoting a dental treatment plan and a sexually explicit video of singer Taylor Swift.
Lawmakers have called for legislation to ban AI deepfakes in political ads, but no legislation has passed in Congress. In the federal legal vacuum, more than a dozen states have passed laws restricting the use of AI in political ads.