U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) introduced the AI Fraud Accountability Act on Wednesday, bipartisan legislation designed to modernize federal law to combat the growing threat of AI-generated impersonation scams.
“As artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, criminals are exploiting it to scam hardworking Americans,” said Rep. Buchanan, vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
The bill would create a new offense under the Communications Act prohibiting the use of highly realistic digital impersonations, including AI-generated voice clones and deepfake videos, to fraudulently obtain money or other items of value. To qualify as a violation, the depiction would need to be indistinguishable from an authentic one to a reasonable person. Those found guilty would face criminal penalties including imprisonment, fines, and forfeiture of proceeds, as well as civil enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission.
Rep. Buchanan introduced the bipartisan bill alongside U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL).
“As AI rapidly evolves, it is critical for us to ensure that the technology isn’t being misused to cause harm,” Rep. Soto said. “We’ve unfortunately seen cases where it is used to create realistic impersonations of real people. I’m proud to join this bipartisan legislation to set guardrails and prevent these deceptive practices from taking place.”
The legislation has drawn broad support from Microsoft, AARP, the National Consumers League, the American Association of Senior Citizens, the Center for AI Safety Action Fund, the Bank Policy Institute, the Business Software Alliance, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance North America Chapter, and the National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship.
“Congress must act to stay ahead of these threats by modernizing federal law to keep up with emerging technology, Rep. Buchanan said. “The AI Fraud Accountability Act makes clear that if you use AI to defraud Americans, you will be prosecuted.”