As the FCC deliberates on the future of generative AI use in political ads, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel spoke to the Berkeley Law AI Institute, remaining optimistic about the technology’s future use, while remaining steadfast over issues of democratic integrity.
Rosenworcel emphasized that AI has grown dramatically, with tools capable of creating lifelike images, videos, and voice replicas. These advances have sparked concerns about how AI-generated content could spread misinformation, particularly during political campaigns. She referenced a Pew survey showing that 82% of Americans are worried about AI’s role in generating misleading content in elections.
“We want to know what it means for the future of work. We are concerned about models that inherit the prejudices of the systems they are trained on and determine who gets a loan and who gets a job. We want to know what it means for competition. We want to talk about energy consumption. We want to understand what it means for the future of humanity,” she commented.
Rosenworcel explained that the Commission is actively working to regulate the use of AI in telecommunications, saying how the FCC, “Unanimously adopted a ruling that made clear that ‘artificial or prerecorded’ robocalls using AI voice cloning technology violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.”
She compared this to the rule to the controversial and much-debated proposed regulation that would require broadcasters to disclose the use of artificial intelligence in political advertisements. “The work we have done on robocalls and the proposals we have made on campaign advertisements are grounded in the same idea. They are built on the notion that with AI the place to start is transparency.”
While Democratic lawmakers have praised the NPRM, broadcast groups and the NAB have taken issue with the proposal in that it would be an onerous burden placed on radio and TV operators to run the disclosures.
Not all of the Chairwoman’s comments were negative, however. She voiced her optimism about AI’s potential to improve communications technology, highlighting the agency’s collaboration with the National Science Foundation on projects that use AI to enhance network efficiency.
In the closing section of her speech, Rosenworcel referenced Taylor Swift’s disdain about AI, saying, “She not only has eras, she has concerns about how her image has been used without her permission in ways that ‘have conjured up fears around AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation.’”
The FCC’s decision on the AI disclosure rule will be determined following the final public reply submission deadline on October 11.
