The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will pursue companies that abuse AI, violating anti-discrimination laws or misleading consumers. TechCrunch reports.
At congressional hearings, FTC Chair Lina Khan and fellow commissioners warned that systems like ChatGPT could be used for ‘turbocharged fraud’. They said this in response to questions about risks tied to the latest advances in AI.
Khan agreed that the rapid development of generative algorithms poses new risks for the FTC, despite their other advantages.
“AI carries not only a whole set of capabilities, but also risks. … And I think we’ve already seen how it can be used for fraud. We are drawing the attention of market participants: the use of AI to deceive people may fall under the FTC’s scrutiny,” she said.
She added that the agency actively employs technology to protect consumer rights and uphold fair competition.
“Our duty is to do what we have always done: apply the tools at hand, ensure we have the expertise, and not fear revolutionary technologies,” she said.
The hearings were initiated by the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Trade. They encompassed a broad range of topics beyond AI.
Among questions that touched on technology, agency representatives described misleading statements by members of the crypto community.
In March, the FTC said it planned to prevent the dominance of tech giants in AI.
In February the commission released recommendations for advertising AI products.