Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Federal Communications Commission is making it illegal for robocalls to use AI-generated voices. The ruling, issued on Thursday, gives state attorneys general the ability to take action against callers using AI voice cloning tech.
As outlined in the ruling, AI-generated voices are now considered “an artificial or prerecorded voice” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). This restricts callers from using AI-generated voices for non-emergency purposes or without prior consent. The TCPA includes bans on a variety of automated call practices, including using an “artificial or prerecorded voice” to deliver messages, but it wasn’t explicitly stated whether this included AI-powered voice cloning. The new ruling clarifies that…