FTC chair Lina Khan warns AI could ‘turbocharge’ fraud and scams


Washington
CNN
 — 

Synthetic intelligence instruments similar to ChatGPT might result in a “turbocharging” of client harms together with fraud and scams, and the US authorities has substantial authority to crack down on AI-driven client harms below current legislation, members of the Federal Commerce Fee stated Tuesday.

Addressing Home lawmakers, FTC chair Lina Khan stated the “turbocharging of fraud and scams that might be enabled by these instruments are a critical concern.”

In current months, a brand new crop of AI instruments have gained consideration for his or her skill to generate convincing emails, tales and essays in addition to photos, audio and movies. Whereas these instruments have potential to vary the best way folks work and create, some have additionally raised considerations about how they might be use to deceive by impersonating people.

Whilst policymakers throughout the federal authorities debate tips on how to promote particular AI guidelines, citing considerations about attainable algorithmic discrimination and privateness points, corporations might nonetheless face FTC investigations as we speak below a variety of statutes which were on the books for years, Khan and her fellow commissioners stated.

“All through the FTC’s historical past we now have needed to adapt our enforcement to altering expertise,” stated FTC Commissioners Rebecca Slaughter. “Our obligation is to do what we’ve at all times performed, which is to use the instruments we now have to those altering applied sciences … [and] not be scared off by this concept that this can be a new, revolutionary expertise.”

FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya stated corporations can not escape legal responsibility just by claiming that their algorithms are a black field.

“Our workers has been constantly saying our unfair and misleading practices authority applies, our civil rights legal guidelines, honest credit score, Equal Credit score Alternative Act, these apply,” stated Bedoya. “There’s legislation, and firms might want to abide by it.”

The FTC has beforehand issued in depth public steerage to AI corporations, and the company final month received a request to analyze OpenAI over claims that the corporate behind ChatGPT has misled customers in regards to the device’s capabilities and limitations.