US legislators are actively addressing the surge in artificial intelligence-driven scams and fraudulent activities through proposed legislation aimed at revamping the nation’s regulations on robocalls.
The comprehensive proposal, put forth by House Democrats, is a direct response to various incidents, such as the recent deep fake impersonation of President Joe Biden, which targeted thousands of New Hampshire voters.
Additionally, it addresses instances where fraudsters employ cloning techniques to mimic the voice of a loved one, deceiving victims into believing a kidnapping has taken place.
Robocalls in the United States reached an estimated peak of around 58.5 billion in 2019, as reported by YouMail, a service specializing in blocking robocalls.
Last year, this figure decreased to approximately 55 billion.
Bill Widens Robocall Definition to Include AI
The newly proposed bill seeks to significantly broaden the definition of a robocall, encompassing any call or text message featuring artificially generated or prerecorded messages, as outlined in a summary of the legislation reviewed by CNN.
Furthermore, the bill aims to double the potential fines for violations of US robocall regulations, particularly those involving the use of artificial intelligence to impersonate individuals.
Under the proposed legislation, all robocalls, including those sanctioned by Americans for entities such as their bank or doctor’s office, would be required to disclose the use of artificial intelligence.
Equal Limits for Political and Non-political Robocalls
According to a representative for Rep. Frank Pallone, the prominent Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a key sponsor of the bill, known as the Do Not Disturb Act, the new restrictions would be uniformly applicable to both political and non-political robocalls.
The primary objective of this legislation is to address perceived loopholes in the existing law that allow robocallers to exploit situations without being held accountable, particularly concerning the definition of what constitutes a robocall.