Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the United States Senate from New York, has urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reject a petition that would allow AI-generated robocalls ahead of the November midterm elections. The request comes from the conservative group Club for Growth.
Speaking on Monday, Schumer warned that the proposed change could let campaigns use their rivals’ voices to deliver a message that is “at best, disingenuous and, at worst, a blatant lie.”
Petition timeline and Democratic concerns at the FCC
The petition was first filed on August 31. A public comment period opened on September 4 and closes on Monday. Earlier this month, Anna Gomez, the Democratic member of the FCC, asked her colleagues not to allow the petition to be considered.
Gomez echoed Schumer’s worries. She told a news agency that letting a dark money group flood Americans’ phones with AI-generated calls they never agreed to receive would cause chaos so close to Election Day.
Earlier AI voice case and state disclosure laws
The concerns have precedent. Before the New Hampshire primary in the 2024 presidential election, voters received an AI-generated message using the voice of then Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden, telling them not to vote. The FCC said a political consultant working with longshot primary challenger Dean Phillips was responsible.
At the state level, Louisiana, Tennessee and Vermont passed laws this year requiring disclosure of AI-generated campaign calls. Under FCC rules, robocalls to cellphones without prior consent are prohibited, but those restrictions do not apply to landlines.
Club for Growth argument and FCC response
Club for Growth president David McIntosh said in a statement earlier this month that the group wants the FCC to treat protected political speech the way it already treats wireless calls about package deliveries, bank accounts and doctor’s appointments.
An FCC spokesperson said no one at the agency had expressed interest in moving toward an order on this or any other petition, and that there were zero plans to do so. The spokesperson said the agency seeks comment on petitions as a matter of normal procedure.
