Schumer urges FCC to reject political AI call petition

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer urged the Federal Communications Commission on Monday, October 19, to reject a Club for Growth petition that would allow political calls to cellphones using artificial or prerecorded voices, including AI-generated voices, without recipients’ prior express consent. The FCC has not decided whether to grant the request. The petition would create an exemption from rules requiring consent for such calls. In describing the proposed system, the FCC said it could involve a person clicking a send button to transmit thousands of messages per hour. Schumer warned that campaigns could imitate opponents’ voices to deliver false messages. Club for Growth President David McIntosh has argued that political speech should receive treatment comparable to wireless notices about package deliveries, bank accounts and medical appointments. The group says on its website that it plans to spend $175 million in the midterm congressional elections scheduled for November 3. That spending figure is the group’s stated plan. The FCC’s next step remains uncertain. An agency spokesperson said the commission had no plans to grant the petition. Commissioner Anna Gomez said...