02/12/2024

FCC Outlaws AI-generated Voices from Telemarketing

The new ruling may also prohibit AI-generated text messages

Recently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) outlawed robocalls that use voices generated by artificial intelligence, putting businesses that have used AI voices for telemarketing services at legal risk.

While AI-generated voices are relatively new, companies have been offering telemarketing services that use AI agents to make cold sales calls and generate leads, some with the explicit goal of fully replacing human-powered call centers. FCC commissioner Anna Gomez announced the decision in a statement, writing that Americans are prohibited from using "artificial or pre-recorded" voices to make robocalls and robotexts, at least without the prior express consent of the receiving party.

In January 2024, several New Hampshire voters reported that they had received a call from an AI-generated vocal clone of President Joe Biden that told them not to vote in the then-upcoming primary election. In response, FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel released a proposal to make such calls illegal under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.