Outsmarting the Bots: US Regulator Drops the Hammer on AI-voice Robocalls

What Does FCC Says?

The FCC claims that the decision will empower them to pursue anyone responsible for using voice cloning in robocall frauds. According to regulations, it was previously possible to penalize individuals for the results of schemes like robocall fraud but not the calls themselves. Thanks to automated calling systems, the frequency of these calls has skyrocketed in the last several years; some of these systems even “spook” phone numbers so they seem to come from a local person.

Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)

Last month, the occurrence came to light when an impersonator posing as US President Joe Biden advised individuals not to vote in the New Hampshire primary through robocall. Without a single dissenting vote, the FCC found that voices generated by AI are in fact “artificial” and in violation of the TCPA. To limit telemarketing and other forms of automated dialing, as well as other forms of trash calls, the FCC primarily enforces the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

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AI-generated voices in telemarketing calls

Among those who lobbied the FCC to limit the use of AI-generated voices in telemarketing calls was a group of 26 state attorneys general. A Texas corporation that shares ownership with organizations that deliver robocalls to politicians was identified by the Attorney General for New Hampshire on Tuesday as the source of the deepfake robocall of Biden. Using Biden’s impersonation voice, the official believed that 5,000 to 25,000 calls were made. Many experts are worried that important elections throughout the world this year, including the 2024 presidential contest, may be flooded with deepfake disinformation.