FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has sent letters requesting information from nine telecommunications companies about the actions they are taking to prevent artificial intelligence-generated fraud in robocalls used for political purposes. AI-based voice cloning technology makes it easy to accurately impersonate political figures, celebrities, and others, allowing bad actors to defraud the public. Following a January 2024 incident in which robocalls used AI to impersonate President Biden, the FCC clarified that the use of AI voice cloning in robocalls violates the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and proposed heavy fines for both the responsible party and the carrier.
The Chairwoman’s letters indicate growing concern about the need for AI regulation on telecommunications networks and raise the question of what role carriers will play. The letters were sent to AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DISH, Frontier, Lumen, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
