Curtis, Blumenthal File Quiet Act to Require Disclosure of AI-Generated Robocalls
Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., filed the Quashing Unwanted and Interruptive Electronic Telecommunications (Quiet) Act on Thursday to require all robocallers to disclose when a call or text message uses AI technology. The measure would require the disclosure to happen “at the beginning of the call or text message.” It exempts calls or text messages “sent using equipment that requires substantial human intervention to make or send” the communication. The bill would also increase Telephone Consumer Protection Act violation forfeiture penalties for AI-generated robocalls to “twice the maximum amount that may be imposed” under the statute. It would double the TCPA criminal fine as well.
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“The innovation that comes with using artificial intelligence has the potential to bring incredible amounts of good to our lives, with the understanding that bad actors will and can take advantage of that,” Curtis said in a statement. “Almost all Americans have been affected by scams through robocalls and we must work to ensure that with new technology, we have new safeguards.”
The Quiet Act “helps protect consumers from bad actors who use AI to scam Americans out of their hard-earned money,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “Criminals are increasingly using AI in robocalls and text messages to trick consumers -- stealing billions of dollars from their victims each year. Strong safeguards like those in our [bill] are necessary to crack down on fraudsters and give Americans the peace of mind they deserve.”
Bill Sweeney, AARP's senior vice president of government affairs, praised the Quiet Act as a way to “crack down on criminals using AI to trick and defraud, giving older Americans stronger protections and greater peace of mind.”