Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Joseph Simons, urging the Commission to make protecting consumers from potential abuses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) a top priority. The newly unveiled Google Duplex, which made headlines for uncannily mimicking a human voice, has raised concerns for potential misuse by bad actors. With the rapid advancement of AI technology, Cortez Masto is calling on the FTC to work with Congress to identify and curb potential problems to ensure that consumers are protected from unfair or deceptive acts.
“Technology, including AI, has advanced at a rapid pace in recent years, often making it difficult to ensure that rules and consumer protections keep pace with developments in the technology industry,” said Cortez Masto. “An approach that combines strong protections for consumers while allowing the technology to thrive will allow the industry to solve problems, improve people’s lives, and ensure that all people enjoy the fruits of technological advancements in the 21st century.”
Cortez Masto continued, “These are large and complex challenges but I am confident that with proper leadership the FTC can fulfill its role as the consumer protection agency and work to ensure consumers are not subject to ‘unfair or deceptive acts’ committed with the help of AI. As the Commission moves forward under your new leadership, I hope you will work with my office, the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Congress generally to help identify problems and solve issues that arise from the development of this exciting technology and make protecting Americans from misuses of AI a top priority.”
A copy of the letter can be found HERE and below:
Dear Mr. Simons:
I am writing to you to encourage that, as you fulfill your new leadership role of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), you work to ensure that the Commission makes protecting consumers from potential abuses of consumers using Artificial Intelligence (AI) a top priority. With the advent of groundbreaking technologies that have capabilities beyond our wildest imaginations, we have a great responsibility to uphold our values and protect the American people. AI represents one of the most significant breakthroughs of our time, and it must be met with prudent response from every part of the federal government – including the FTC.
AI is an exciting new technology that has countless applications. From helping companies increase efficiency to improving traffic and safety, AI can increase economic growth and drastically improve people’s lives. At the same time, however, all technologies are vulnerable to unintended consequences and abuse by bad actors. As the agency tasked with protecting consumers, the FTC has a broad mandate under the Federal Trade Commission Act to “prevent unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.” It is vital that the FTC fulfills this mandate as it relates to developments in AI.
As you may know, recent reports regarding the development of digital personal assistants has raised concerns about the potential for misuse of this technology. Some of these devices can now mimic human speech beyond detectability. While these devices could be used for countless purposes, such as helping people make appointments, there is also concerns about possible “deceptive” uses, such as perpetrating scams by mimicking the voice of a friend or relative asking for money.
This example is only a tiny fraction of what AI is used for every day, and these uses will grow exponentially in the near future. Technology, including AI, has advanced at a rapid pace in recent years, often making it difficult to ensure that rules and consumer protections keep pace with developments in the technology industry. An approach that combines strong protections for consumers while allowing the technology to thrive will allow the industry to solve problems, improve people’s lives, and ensure that all people enjoy the fruits of technological advancements in the 21st century.
These are large and complex challenges but I am confident that with proper leadership the FTC can fulfill its role as the consumer protection agency and work to ensure consumers are not subject to “unfair or deceptive acts” committed with the help of AI. As the Commission moves forward under your new leadership, I hope you will work with my office, the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Congress generally to help identify problems and solve issues that arise from the development of this exciting technology and make protecting Americans from misuses of AI a top priority.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
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