FCC head floats disclosures for all AI-generated robocalls

The Federal Communications Commission has done a lot recently to crack down on the potentially misleading use of artificial intelligence in phone calls and on the airwaves. It’s teed up disclosures for AI-generated content in political ads, banned AI deepfakes in robocalls, and fined an operative behind a robocall campaign that mimicked President Joe Biden’s voice.

Now, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has proposed her agency go another step further: Requiring callers to disclose any use of AI in calls to consumers.

“Bad actors are already using AI technology in robocalls to mislead consumers and misinform the public. That’s why we want to put in place rules that empower consumers to avoid this junk and make informed decisions,” she said in a statement.

If the rest of the commission votes to approve the proposal during its Aug. 7 public meeting, it’ll move ahead with collecting input on the proper definition of AI-generated calls and how disclosures of such calls should work.

Although the rule wouldn’t preclude auto-generated voices—the robot lady that calls from CVS is safe—it would require companies to disclose that they plan to use AI-assisted communications when they obtain consent to contact consumers, and they would have to disclose the use of AI in every call that employs the technology.

This kind of transparency “​​would provide consumers with an opportunity to identify and avoid those calls that contain an enhanced risk of fraud and other scams,” according to the FCC. The agency didn’t immediately respond to Tech Brew’s request for further details.

In public comments to the agency, several organizations were quick to point out that, while AI in the wrong hands has some obvious risks for consumers, leveraging various AI-powered tools can also help beat back the scourge of unwanted calls and texts.