The US telecommunications regulator (FCC) has decided to ban robocalls made using voices created by artificial intelligence (AI) software, in an effort to combat increasingly sophisticated scams carried out using the technology, AFP reported.

“Criminals are using AI-generated voices in unsolicited phone calls to solicit vulnerable family members, impersonate celebrities and misinform voters. We are alerting the scammers behind these phone calls,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said Thursday in a statement from the federal agency.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says its ruling, effective immediately, would outlaw the voice-cloning technologies used in these robocalls, or robocalls, designed to trick consumers.

Last year’s explosion of generative artificial intelligence, which makes it possible to generate content (text, images, sounds) based on a simple request in everyday language, caused great concern and various attempts at regulation.

“The growth of these types of calls has accelerated in recent years as the technology now allows consumers to be misled with false information by mimicking the voices of celebrities, political candidates or close family members,” the FCC said.

Hoax calls impersonating President Joe Biden to encourage New Hampshire residents not to vote in the Democratic primary have recently made headlines. The investigation into a possible “illegal attempt to disrupt” the vote is ongoing.

In October, the head of state signed a decree to create a better base for AI in terms of security, fairness and impact on the labor market. In particular, the text recommends developing tools that allow easy identification of AI-generated content.

On this occasion, the 80-year-old Democrat recalled that he saw a video about himself created from scratch with the help of AI (deepfake).

“I was wondering when I could say that,” Joe Biden said of using artificial intelligence to trick people into pretending to be their family members.

“State attorneys general will now have new tools to fight these scams and ensure the public is protected from fraud and misinformation,” Jessica Rosenworcel said Thursday.