Schakowsky Introduces Legislation to Curb AI Robocalls
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), a Chief Deputy Whip and Ranking Member of the House Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee, introduced the Restrictions on Utilizing Realistic Electronic Artificial Language (R U REAL) Act. This bill requires disclosure of the use of AI to emulate human interaction in telemarketing over text or phone and would double penalties for any robocall violations of the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) when using AI to impersonate someone.
“I am proud to join Ranking Member Frank Pallone in the fight against illegitimate and intrusive robocalls. As of late, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made matters even worse by deceiving people who think they are talking to another human, when in actuality, they are talking to a bot,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “My bill restricts any telemarketer from using an AI bot that sounds like a human without first telling you that it is AI, and it holds telemarketers accountable for using AI to break the law. The dangers of deceptive AI cannot be overstated, we must act now to implement pro-consumer guardrails on this growing industry.”
The R U Real Act was introduced as part of the Do Not Disturb Package, a suite of bills introduced by Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., aimed at protecting consumers from the bombardment of dangerous and unwanted calls and texts.
“Every American with a phone is facing a never ending, deluge of robocalls and texts — at this point, it’s downright harassment. As technology evolves, illegal robocallers are finding new ways to scam Americans and abuse the loopholes created by the Supreme Court’s recent decision to undermine one of the foundations of anti-robocall protections. Unfortunately, we know these scammers often target older Americans who are especially vulnerable victims to these fraudsters’ scams. Today I’m introducing legislation that brings anti-robocall protections into the 21st century and ensures illegal robocallers and scam artists can’t exploit new loopholes even as technology continues to evolve,” said Congressman Frank Pallone. “This comprehensive legislation is long overdue to protect Americans from these annoying calls and texts, and I look forward to the hard work ahead to see it across the finish line and signed into law.”
AI technology has been used by illegal robocallers to specifically target older Americans, in some cases, using AI technology to mimic the voices of family members asking for money to scam older Americans out of their life savings.
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