A proposed task force on artificial intelligence led by Federal agency leaders would work to eliminate deep fake-powered identity theft and fraud under new legislation introduced in the Senate.
The bipartisan, bicameral Preventing Deep Fake Scams Act introduced by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, on June 18 is the Senate companion to a similar bill introduced in the House in February by Reps. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., and Mike Flood, R-Neb.
“Scammers are using deep fakes to impersonate victims’ family members in order to steal their money,” said Sen. Husted in a statement on the legislation that would assess how the financial sector can use AI to defend against fraud and identify risks posed by the technology.
“As fraudsters continue to scheme, we need to make sure we utilize AI so that we can better protect innocent Americans and prevent these scams from happening in the first place,” the senator added. “My bill would protect Ohio’s seniors, families and small business owners from malicious actors who take advantage of their compassion.”
The task force would be chaired by the Treasury secretary, and include heads or designees of the Federal Reserve, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the National Credit Union Administration, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
In a report due to Congress within a year of signing the bill into law, the task force would outline best practices to protect consumers from deepfake financial crimes and provide regulatory and legislative recommendations. It would also summarize current steps taken by banks and credit unions to protect consumers.
“Scammers are already using artificial intelligence to impersonate loved ones, steal personal information, and hack into bank accounts – putting Americans’ hard-earned money at risk,” said Rep. Pettersen when introducing the companion legislation in February. “As AI continues to evolve, our policies must keep up in order to get ahead of scammers who want to use this technology to take advantage of people.”
Legislation targeting deepfakes and other crimes powered by AI have received increased attention from Congress in the last year, with other bills targeting deepfakes related to women and children through pornography and other sexually explicit content, and those that aim to influence elections.