The USA has declared AI calls with computer-generated voices illegal with immediate effect. Actors who oppose this are to be prosecuted in future. The background.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has declared so-called AI calls with artificially generated voices illegal. The authority announced this in an official statement. The ban is to come into force with immediate effect.
AI calls: USA announces criminal prosecution
The FCC has thus officially given the state the power to prosecute those who oppose the ban and are behind AI calls. The decision comes at a time when the voices of celebrities and politicians are increasingly being imitated by computers. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel comments:
Malicious actors are using AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls to blackmail vulnerable family members, impersonate celebrities and misinform voters. We warn the fraudsters behind these robocalls.
The background: Numerous eligible voters in the US state of New Hampshire recently received calls from actors pretending to be US President Joe Biden. According to the FCC, there were between 5,000 and 25,000 cases. The callers urged voters not to take part in the primary election.
Artificial intelligence: disinformation by telephone
The FCC explained that AI calls can provide disinformation by impersonating public figures and, in some cases, close family members.
Previously, it had been possible to initiate fraud proceedings in such cases. With the current measure, however, the authority has declared calls based on artificial intelligence to be illegal in principle. According to the FCC, this expands the legal options.
In addition to AI calls, so-called deepfakes, in which artificial intelligence is used to manipulate video or audio files, have become a major problem worldwide. For example, fake videos of high-ranking politicians such as Volodymyr Selenskyj, Angela Merkel and Joe Biden have already been circulating online.
