The organisation is concerned that phone scams and false information could increase due to AI-powered voice cloning.
Unintended consequences are becoming more and more prevalent as the field of artificial intelligence continues to rapidly expand. The effects of artificial intelligence are now being felt all over the world, and they are only going to get more dramatic in the future. There has been a concerning increase in the number of artificial intelligence (AI) robocalls, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is pressing lawmakers to make these kind of calls illegal.
Since the first telephone lines were constructed, people have been utilising phone calls to con other people, but generative artificial intelligence could make it far more difficult to identify fraudulent activities. There have previously been examples of robocalls that have used artificial intelligence to clone the voice of a person. Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, stated that these calls have the potential to easily convince victims to give money to the scammers, under the impression that they are assisting a friend or a well-known public figure. In a recent AI robocall, residents of New Hampshire were instructed to avoid participating in the state’s presidential primary. The caller claimed to be Vice President Joe Biden. The opposite of the Jolly Roger Telephone is depicted here.
“AI-generated voice cloning and images are already sowing confusion by tricking consumers into thinking scams and frauds are legitimate,” according to Rosenworcel. “No matter what celebrity or politician you favour, 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.”
The agency started doing research on the rising usage of artificial intelligence in robocalls towards the end of the previous year. As well as the ways in which artificial intelligence could assist in detecting and blocking such calls, it took into consideration the ubiquity of the technology in scams. It was intended to find out whether or not the Telephone Consumer Protection Act might be used to restrict robocalls that were created by artificial intelligence. Because of this regulation, the Federal Communications Commission is able to restrict the use of auto-dialing devices and unwanted phone calls.
Rosenworcel advocated for the Federal Communications Commission to issue a “Declaratory Ruling” stating that artificial intelligence robocalls are, in fact, subject to the jurisdiction of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. If they were successful, calls of this nature would be considered unlawful according to the law. At the very least, Congress is acting as if it is going to take action. Representative Frank Pallone Jr., a Democrat in the House of Representatives, has proposed the Do Not Disturb Act, which would force businesses to disclose whether or not they have utilised artificial intelligence to construct a message to the consumer. It is not certain, however, whether the legislation will be able to pass through the extremely contentious house without being rejected. The 118th Congress has only passed 34 legislation, which is approximately ten times fewer than the usual number of laws passed.
Up to this point, twenty-six state solicitors general, led by the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Michelle Henry, have been vocal in their support of the FCC proposal. “We commend Chairwoman Rosenworcel for considering our input and taking this timely action to ensure consumers have the ability to provide prior written consent before receiving calls with A.I. technology serving as a live agent,” according to Henry. Despite the fact that this is an election year, the Federal Communications Commission has not yet decided when it will make a final decision. Hopefully, the procedure won’t take an excessive amount of time.