Comment by minimaxir
1 year ago
This ruling was driven by fake Joe Biden robocalls, but there are/(were?) AI startups trying to create AI customer support bots or political reachouts with consent from the parties involved to clone those voices.
From the declaratory ruling, any AI-generated voice call requires prior recipient consent:
> Consistent with our statements in the AI NOI, we confirm that the TCPA’s restrictions on the use of “artificial or prerecorded voice” encompass current AI technologies that resemble human voices and/or generate call content using a prerecorded voice. Therefore, callers must obtain prior express consent from the called party before making a call that utilizes artificial or prerecorded voice simulated or generated through AI technology.
So presumably the google assistant "feature" that can book a table at a restaurant for you is now illegal? IIRC that would place a call to the restaurant.
This is a good outcome.
IANAL, but that would be the implication.
> AI startups trying to create AI customer support bots or political reachouts with consent from the parties involved to clone those voices.
This is where lawyers get to have fun. What is the line between a message in the public sphere copied and multiplied via broadcast, and a message consensually altered and multiplied via AI-then-broadcast?
The same law that bans artificial voices without prior recipient consent also bans recordings without prior recipient consent. So no difference whatsoever for phone calls.
Sounds like nothing of value is lost