Baltimore, Maryland —In a letter (PDF) to the Federal Communications Commission, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a group of 26 states in highlighting the risks associated with telemarketers using artificial intelligence and requesting that the FCC severely limit this practice.
The FCC published a Notice of Inquiry in November 2023, seeking feedback on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in consumer communications as well as an explanation of the technology’s compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The FCC specifically inquired about the possibility for artificial intelligence (AI) systems to behave like live agents when interacting with customers.
The TCPA defines robocalls as calls placed with an artificial or prerecorded voice. Generally speaking, these calls are forbidden unless the caller has the consumer’s previous, clear written authorization.
- California RESIDENTS To RECEIVE $500 MONTHLY PAYMENTS In New Guaranteed Income Program: Here Is Who Is Eligible
- Us Job Market Booms With 272,000 New Jobs, But Unemployment Rises Slightly To 4.0%
- Credit Scores Of 720+ See Improved Loan Rates This Week
- Examining The Facts: Fact Check On IRS $8700 Stimulus Check Eligibility & Payment Dates
- Gas Prices On Downward Trend As Fourth Of July Road Trips Approach: AAA
The coalition contends in the letter to the FCC that marketers that wish to utilize artificial intelligence (A.I.) to mimic a human voice should be bound by the TCPA’s guidelines regarding “artificial voices,” which includes getting customers’ express written agreement in advance.
Artificial intelligence frequently renders the ability to discern between fake and real very difficult. Attorney General Brown stated that some companies employ artificial intelligence in their telemarketing tactics as a means of upsetting and tricking honest Marylanders. “I’m determined to stop telemarketers from taking advantage of this technology to trick and bombard Marylanders with unsolicited text messages and robocalls.”
Joining Attorney Generals Brown, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington in submitting the comment letter is Attorney General Brown.