AI-generated voices are extremely convincing and can converse without the obvious repetitions and scripted lines, making a dream tool for fraudsters, marketers and political campaigns. The Federal Communications Commission sees the costs of all this coming and is banning their use in robocalls.
"Bad actors are using AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls to extort vulnerable family members, imitate celebrities and misinform votes," said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a press release. "State attorneys general will now have new tools to crack down on these scams and ensure the public is protected from fraud and misinformation."
The FCC's action follows an incident ahead of New Hampshire's presidential primary last month in which a phony robocall impersonating President Biden encouraged voters not to cast ballots in the contest. An estimated 5,000 to 25,000 of the calls were made. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella on Tuesday said the AI-generated recording made to sound like the president has been linked to two Texas companies, with a criminal probe underway.
This election year is going to be so nasty. I fear our media does not have the perspective and willingness to plainly describe the nastiness on the way.
