United States of America: Published FCC Proposal to Make AI Voice-Generated Robocalls Illegal

On 31 January 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed a rule to categorise calls employing AI-generated voices as "artificial" voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The rule aims to make illegal voice cloning technology commonly used in deceptive robocall scams. The FCC's action seeks to provide State Attorneys General nationwide with enhanced tools to pursue wrongdoers behind such robocalls, holding them accountable under the law. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act is the FCC's primary tool against unwanted calls, imposing restrictions on telemarketing calls, automatic voice dialling systems, and artificial or prerecorded messages. FCC regulations require telemarketers to obtain prior express written consent from consumers before engaging in robocalls. If successfully enacted, this Declaratory Ruling would subject AI-generated voice calls to the same standards.