FCC bans unsolicited AI-generated robocalls

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday said that its order would give state attorneys general new tools to crack down on criminal enterprises using AI to scam the public. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said scammers have been using unsolicited robocalls to extort money from vulnerable individuals and relay false information to voters.

What does this do, specifically? The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 aims to protect consumers from telemarketing scams, placing consent requirements on telephone marketers. The FCC’s new order aims to hold those using artificial intelligence for robocalls to phone users to the same standards.

Has this been a big problem recently? A collection of 26 state attorneys general wrote to the FCC earlier this year, asking federal officials to protect phone users from robocalls. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office earlier this week said it had determined the source of calls imitating U.S. President Joe Biden’s voice, urging voters not to vote in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary election. President Biden had declined to enter the New Hampshire primary election, keeping with the Democratic National Committee’s decision to make South Carolina its first primary. Biden still won the New Hampshire primary, when a majority of primary voters wrote his name on their ballots anyway.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about how President Biden has avoided prosecution, but not criticism, over his retention and disclosure of classified documents.