The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday unanimously banned the use of AI-generated voice-cloning technology in robocalls, effective immediately.
Thursday’s ruling — which targets scammers leading up to the 2024 election — cites the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act restricting junk calls using conventional artificial and prerecorded voice messages.
The FCC is now empowered to fine companies utilizing AI voices and punish service providers facilitating those calls. The newly invoked regulation also makes suing companies that use AI-generated voices easier for individuals and state attorneys.
Companies that don’t abide by Thursday’s mandate can be fined up to $23,000 per call, while people targeted by such calls can sue for up to $1,500 per incident.
Federal regulators said Tuesday they were working with New Hampshire prosecutors to stop a Texas-based company from using fake calls to “spread misinformation to voters, using deepfake voice technology and fake phone numbers to encourage them not to vote.”
Residents of that state, which hosted the nation’s first primary last month, reported receiving AI-generated calls discouraging voters from heading to the polls on Jan. 23 by using a voice impersonating President Biden.
Regulating the use of AI in political campaigns has been met with bipartisan support in Congress, but no legislation has been passed to address the issue.
Despite Thursday’s action by the FCC, Aspen Institute Director of AI and Democracy Josh Lawson told The Associated Press that Americans won’t be completely protected from bad actors.
“The true dark hats tend to disregard the stakes, and they know what they’re doing is unlawful,” he said.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel warned last week that no one’s truly safe from artificially made calls.
“No matter what celebrity or politician you favor, or what your relationship is with your kin when they call for help, it is possible we could all be a target of these faked calls,” she said before the FCC made fake AI-generated calls illegal.
With News Wire Services
