FCC Chairman Asks Telcos to Prove They’re Actually Trying to Stop Political AI Robocalls

FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel asked nine major telecom companies, including AT&T and Comcast, whether they were actually doing anything about AI political robocalls. AI-generated voices are getting better at imitating humans, and we’ve already seen this technology in action, when an audio deepfake urged voters to .

“We know that AI technologies will make it cheap and easy to flood our networks with deepfakes used to deceive and betray trust. It’s especially horrifying to see AI voice cloning used to impersonate candidates in elections. As AI tools become more accessible to bad actors and scammers, we must do everything we can to keep this garbage out of our networks,” Rosenworcel wrote.

It’s worth noting that as of February, politically or not, the major telecom companies have yet to announce any enforcement plans. However, the mandate does give attorneys general the ability to prosecute those involved in the robocalls.

Rosenworcel has also tried to force political campaigns to disclose whether or not they have used AI in TV or radio ads. . The proposed plan, however, comes from the Federal Election Commission. Chairman Sean Cooksey wrote in a letter to Rosenworcel that the plan would override the FEC’s authority to enforce federal campaign laws, opening up a legal challenge.