The Federal Trade Commission is taking action against multiple companies that have relied on artificial intelligence as a way to supercharge deceptive or unfair conduct that harms consumers, as part of its new law enforcement sweep called Operation AI Comply.
The cases being announced today include actions against a company promoting an AI tool that enabled its customers to create fake reviews, a company claiming to sell “AI Lawyer” services, and multiple companies claiming that they could use AI to help consumers make money through online storefronts.
“Using AI tools to trick, mislead, or defraud people is illegal,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The FTC’s enforcement actions make clear that there is no AI exemption from the laws on the books. By cracking down on unfair or deceptive practices in these markets, FTC is ensuring that honest businesses and innovators can get a fair shot and consumers are being protected.”
That seems sensible.
Even a hypothetically true artificial general intelligence would still not be a moral agent, thus it cannot be held responsible for its actions; as such, whoever deploys and maintains it should be held responsible. That’s doubly true with LLMs as they aren’t even intelligent to begin with.
Surprisingly fast for a government organization to react to something new.
Lina Khan is awesome
Amazing what happens with adequate funding. How long until Republicans open some sort of bullshit Congressional investigation that won’t find anything but waste time and money, and as usual try to reduce funding by obviously punitive levels?
Adequate funding and having a chair that isn’t in the back pocket of industry.
Her enforcement is getting a fair bit of push back from the courts though, unsurprisingly mostly Republican appointees.
