State attorneys general urge FCC to restrict AI in telemarketing

A bipartisan group of 26 attorneys general issued a joint comment urging the Federal Communications Commission to restrict the use of artificial intelligence in telemarketing in order to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls and robotexts.

The letter was written in response to the FCC’s inquiry in November about the implications of AI under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which generally prohibits calls to be made using an artificial or prerecorded voice.

“The State AGs respectfully submit that any type of AI technology that generates a human voice should be considered an ‘artificial voice’ for purposes of the TCPA,” the attorneys general wrote in the comment. “If any TCPA-regulated entity wants to call a consumer utilizing such technology, it should follow the TCPA’s requirements, including those with respect to prior express written consent.”

The state attorneys general wrote that they are willing to work with the FCC on this matter, particularly if there’s a rulemaking on AI and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.