As more con artists use false artificial intelligence, senators from both parties united against abusive robocalling on Tuesday and urged experts to advise on enforcement actions.
The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband heard testimony from witnesses who stated that generative AI can benefit regulators as well.
The AI may identify inadequate mitigation measures in the Federal Communications Commission’s Robocall Mitigation Database, according to Mike Rudolph, chief technology officer of robocall-blocking company YouMail, Inc.
The senators observed that phone companies without caller ID authentication shield themselves from being held responsible for robocalls by entering blank or erroneous paperwork into the database, including menus from restaurants. According to Rudolph, that’s a fantastic location to use [AI] technology and most likely eliminate half of the database’s entries in an afternoon or a week of work.
The subcommittee’s chair, Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, stated that robocalls have damaged public confidence in the country’s communication systems.
He went on to say that many more have fallen victim to those robo-text phishing attacks, which are costing the American people billions of dollars.
A subcommittee hearing was held concurrently with the Senate’s second AI Insights Forum, which was organised by Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., to discuss AI regulation and the fight against sophisticated deception instruments like digital voice generation.
What role does AI play in robocall scams?
At least once a week, 52% of Americans share their opinions online, according to a 2023 report by digital security company McAfee. The samples are taken by con artists who use them to create computer-generated voices.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., stated that it’s extremely unsettling, particularly for elderly individuals who believe they might be receiving a call from a grandchild, son, or daughter and need to answer it to find out what’s going on.
The Senate was also advised by witnesses to put pressure on the Federal Communications Commission to keep requiring consumers to provide written consent before receiving prerecorded robocalls from telemarketers.
According to Margot Saunders, senior counsel with the National Consumer Law Centre, the commission has recently proposed rolling back written consent protections under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
Saunders stated, “We have been pressuring the FCC for months now to just restate that the language in its current regulation means what it says.” The FCC mandates that telemarketers obtain prior express written consent under the 2012 revision of the TCPA.
Some calls “would not require writing” under recently proposed regulations, she continued. Saunders remarked, she cannot tell why they are proposed or issued. She would appreciate it if we could urge the FCC not to move forward in this manner.
