Despite AI robocalls existing for some time, the FCC has only just officially declared them definitely illegal

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It's official - AI generated voices on robocalls are illegal, says FCC

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has declared AI-generated voices are ‘artificial’, which now officially means they are illegal to use in the context of automated voice calls.

While this doesn’t mean the pre-recorded audio you hear saying that “your call is very important to us” when contacting customer support is a thing of the past, it will help prosecute automated calling scams that impersonate the likes of US President Joe Biden.

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 Expect a rise as we approach elections

The designation of AI-generated voices as artificial could not come soon enough as US local and national elections approach.

In order for authorities to begin prosecuting the perpetrators behind the scams advertised by robocalls, they need to have a reasonable amount of suspicion that a crime has taken place. Now, if a call uses a pre-recorded or live AI-generated impersonation then makes the entire prosecution process much easier.

In a press release, FCC Chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel, said “That’s why the FCC is taking steps to recognize this emerging technology as illegal under existing law, giving our partners at State Attorneys General offices across the country new tools they can use to crack down on these scams and protect consumers.”

The rate at which new AI technologies are emerging is argued by some experts to be outstripping our ability to regulate them, but this latest designation is a step in the right direction alongside other AI regulations being laid out worldwide.

While it isn’t perfect and there will be some additional legal patchwork done later on, it will help combat crimes such as the “deepfake CFO” call that recently cost a company millions of dollars.

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Senior Writer, Security

Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at TechRadar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.

Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with a robust academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations, and the ability to translate intricate security data into actionable insights.