FCC chairman proposes new tactics to combat AI-generated robocalls

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday introduced a new proposal aimed at greater regulation of robocalls made using artificial intelligence.

The FCC said Chair Jessica Rosenworcel is seeking public input on defining AI-generated calls, forcing those who use AI-generated calls to disclose their practices, and “supporting” technologies that notify consumers when they receive unlawful AI robocalls.

The proposal would also protect what an FCC press release called “positive uses of AI to help people with disabilities use the telephone networks.”

The proposal would also give state attorneys general new powers to take action against companies that use robocalls generated by artificial intelligence, the press release added.

The five-member commission will vote on the proposal at its next meeting in August.

In February, the FCC unanimously approved a “declaratory judgment” defining calls made using AI-generated voices as “artificial” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), effectively making robocalls that use voice-cloning technology illegal.

“The rise in these types of calls has increased in recent years as this technology now has the potential to confuse consumers with misinformation by mimicking the voices of celebrities.

“political candidates and close family members,” the agency said in a press release at the time.

Rosenworcel’s new proposal is the latest in a series of measures to crack down on artificial intelligence-generated robocalls. Among other things, he proposes heavy fines for robocalls that use AI-powered voice cloning technology and for those who spread election-related misinformation by faking a caller ID.

The agency also recently proposed imposing fines on service providers responsible for forwarding calls and has asked network operators to document how they are addressing the increasing use of illegal robocalls and text messages.

In May, the FCC announced that it had jointly fined $8 million the service provider and political activist allegedly responsible for a robocall campaign that cloned President Joe Biden’s voice.

These calls came two days before the New Hampshire primary and included a voice clone of Biden urging voters not to show up at the polls. According to the FCC, this campaign violated the Truth in Caller ID Act by unlawfully falsifying or altering callers’ numbers to deceive callers.

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