Anna Gomez, the Democratic member of the United States Federal Communications Commission, has urged the federal agency not to allow robocalls generated with artificial intelligence in the lead-up to the midterm elections in early November.
asserted
Gomez → urge → November
On Wednesday, the commissioner pushed back against a petition from Club for Growth, a national conservative fiscal policy organisation, to allow AI-generated robocalls.
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commissioner → push → robocalls
Kimmel moves Talarico Senate interview to YouTube amid clash with FCC
- list 4 of 4US
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Kimmel → move → FCC
FCC head says controversial Trump ads do not raise concerns
The petition, filed on August 31, requested that the federal agency allow political groups to make automated phone calls to people without their prior permission.
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groups → say → permission
The group said it would limit calls so that the same person would not receive more than three calls over the course of 30 days and would be presented with the option to opt out.
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person → say → option
The FCC’s public comment period began on September 4, with the deadline for comments on Monday.
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period → begin → Monday
Responses to those comments are due October 19, and the FCC has yet to decide whether it will approve the request.
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it → have → request
Robocalls have been used in political campaigns for years.
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Robocalls → use → years
The FCC prohibits such calls to cellphones and pagers without the called party’s prior express consent, but they are permitted to landlines.
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they → prohibit → landlines
The concern with the use of AI is that it can sound like a real person and make it easier to impersonate someone.
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it → sound → someone
On the back of a rising number of scams using the technology, the FCC, in February 2024, banned it, saying, “this action now makes the act of using AI to generate the voice in these robocalls itself illegal.”
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act → rise → robocalls
“[If] the FCC allows a dark money group to flood Americans’ phones with AI-generated robocalls they never agreed to receive, it would bring chaos so close to Election Day,” commissioner Gomez told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.
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Gomez → allow → Wednesday
She told The Associated Press that removing the FCC’s consent requirement could lead to a rise in unwanted robocalls and misinformation.
uncertain
removing → tell → robocalls
Representatives for Gomez did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
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Representatives → respond → comment
In advance of the 2024 New Hampshire primary, voters received a robocall featuring an AI-generated version in the voice of President Joe Biden, the Democrat incumbent, telling them not to vote.
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voters → receive → them
The FCC said that political consultant Steve Kramer, who was working for long-shot primary challenger Dean Phillips, was responsible and could face $6m in fines.
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who → say → fines
He was later acquitted of voter suppression charges.
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He → acquit → charges
At the state level, Louisiana, Tennessee and Vermont passed laws this year requiring disclosures for AI-generated campaign phone calls.
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Louisiana → pass → calls
More broadly, 25 states have passed laws concerning the use of AI-generated materials in elections since 2019.
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states → pass → 2019
AI election concerns mount
Concerns about AI robocalls underscore broader concerns about AI in the run-up to the midterm elections.
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Concerns → mount → elections
According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, 57 percent of registered voters said that the administration of US President Donald Trump has not taken the risks of AI seriously enough, with 54 percent saying the same about congressional leadership.
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percent → accord → leadership
Late last month, the White House convened leaders from leading AI companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta and Google, to sign a voluntary pact in which the companies agreed to put more safeguards in place around the development of their most advanced AI systems.
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companies → convene → systems
Its non-compulsory nature has not appeased critics.
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nature → appease → critics
“The White House Accord on Super Intelligence is ‘morally binding’ only, allowing AI companies to design their own controls, select their own evaluators, and determine whether their own procedures are being followed,” Tom Wheeler, visiting fellow in governance studies with Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) at the think tank Brookings Institution, wrote about the decision.
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Wheeler → allow → decision
“History suggests voluntary commitments from these companies are unreliable, as Facebook, Google, and Twitter have all walked back or violated previous self-imposed standards.”
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Facebook → suggest → standards
The Aporia
