--- title: "FCC Bans Robocalls With AI-Generated Voices" description: "The AI robocall ban was announced Thursday and comes just weeks after scammers used the tech to impersonate Joe Biden in calls to voters." date: "2024-02-09" modified: "2024-02-09" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fcc-bans-robocalls-ai-voices" categories: - "FCC" - "Future Society" tags: - "generative ai" - "the digest" - "voice cloning" --- # FCC Bans Robocalls With AI-Generated Voices ![]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Keep Quiet Sayonara, scammers! The Federal Communications Commission announced Thursday a ban on unsolicited robocalls that use an AI-generated voice, sparing all of us from infernally annoying form of phone spam. The decision was unanimous, [*CNN* reports](), and comes just weeks after [AI was used to imitate President Joe Biden in bogus phone calls]() to New Hampshire voters. Per the [ruling](), the FCC explained that AI-generated voices in scam robocalls are outlawed by the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) , because they count as "artificial." In the TCPA's original wording, "any telephone call to any residential telephone line using an artificial or prerecorded voice to deliver a message without the prior express consent of the called party" is prohibited by the act. "Bad actors are using AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls to extort vulnerable family members, imitate celebrities, and misinform voters," FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement, as quoted by *CNN*. "We're putting the fraudsters behind these robocalls on notice." For now, anyone wanting to make robocalls with the technology must obtain the express prior consent of the called party. ## Scamorama It was a swift decision from the FCC, which only [announced its intentions a week ago](). The agency was almost certainly spurred on by an especially foreboding robocall scam last month, in which an AI-generated voice impersonating President Biden told New Hampshire residents not to vote in the state's primary election. The culprits [have since been identified](). The New Hampshire attorney general alleges that a Texas telecom company called Life Corp was behind the scheme, and is now subject to an investigation. While it's unclear if anyone was fooled by the calls, the [fabricated voice of Biden]() is eerily convincing, as is the case with many scammy AI voice clones of which, the world's seen a disturbing rise over the past few years. Some are used to trick elderly citizens into [forking over money]() by using an AI to impersonate a relative in an emergency. Others have even [targeted banks](), stealing millions of dollars. With this latest scheme — which comes in an election year no less — the technology has underlined its potential to spread disinformation and target political figures. And that, more than anything, will probably be keeping lawmakers suspicious of AI technology on their toes. **More on generative AI:** *[Coke's AI-Generated Super Bowl Ad Is Downright Scary]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()