DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ AI-generated voices of dead shooting victims are sending gun-control pleas to lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

We have tried almost every single way to approach gun violence in a way that people will pay attention. There have been 50 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Brett Cross says he's unfazed by critics who are against the use of AI-generated voices of children killed by gun violence. But earlier this month, it announced that robocall scams using AI-generated voices are a violation of telecommunications law. He says some parents who’ve lost children to gun violence were reluctant to take part in the project.

Persons: CNN — Joaquin Oliver’s, Marjory Stoneman, “ It’s, ”, ” Manuel, Patricia Oliver, Joaquin, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Cody Jackson, “, Manuel Oliver, Uzi, Garcia, Mitch Renfro Uzi Garcia, “ I’m, Brett Cross, he’s, he's unfazed, Nuri Vallbona, Ethan Song, Akilah Dasilva, Mike Baughan, Jaycee Webster, Uzi Garcia, Jordan Vonderhaar, Biden, ’ landlines, Oliver, they’re, Alex Quilici, ’ —, Robert Wahl, ” Manuel Oliver, who’ve, It’s Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Kansas City, Robb Elementary School, Reuters, Maryland, Federal Communications Commission, New, Telephone Consumer, Concordia University Wisconsin, Hollywood Locations: Parkland, Parkland , Florida, Florida, Kansas, United States, Uvalde , Texas, Connecticut, Tennessee, Maryland, New Hampshire

☆ FCC votes to outlaw scam robocalls that use AI-generated voices
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The unanimous FCC vote extends anti-robocall rules to cover unsolicited AI deepfake calls by recognizing those voices as “artificial” under a federal law governing telemarketing and robocalling. The FCC’s move gives state attorneys general more legal tools to pursue illegal robocallers that use AI-generated voices to fool Americans, the FCC said. “Bad actors are using AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls to extort vulnerable family members, imitate celebrities, and misinform voters,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement. In 2021, the FCC announced a $5 million proposed fine against right-wing operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman for allegedly using illegal robocalls to discourage voting in the 2020 election. As the FCC updates its interpretation of federal law, some US lawmakers have proposed revising the law directly to further deter illegal robocallers.

Persons: “, ”, Jessica Rosenworcel, “ We’re, Joe Biden, robocalls, Jacob Wohl, Jack Burkman, Andrew Schwartzman Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Communications Commission, FCC, Protection, New, Authorities, YouMail, House Democrats, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, ” Locations: New Hampshire, Texas

☆ Premarket stocks: Blue chips are crumbling. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Blue chip stocks have long been synonymous with stability and reliability. Named for the most valuable poker chips, these stocks supposedly represent the crème de la crème of the corporate world, companies like Disney, General Motors and Verizon. Known for their strong financial foundations, longevity, and a healthy flow of dividends, blue chip stocks have long been the go-to for investors seeking steady returns. Their values have surged so high that they’ve been buoying the broader market even as many blue chips have struggled. The problem is that despite being included in blue chip ETF indexes, companies like Nvidia and Tesla aren’t truly blue chip stocks, George Pearkes, an analyst at Bespoke, told CNN.

Persons: Tesla, ”, Henry Allen, George Pearkes, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Linda Yaccarino, Evan Spiegel, Jason Citron, Read, Brian Fung, Joe Biden, Frank Pallone Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Disney, General Motors, Verizon, Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Investment, Nasdaq, Big Tech, Deutsche Bank, Tesla, Target, Pfizer, Nike, Charter Communications, CNN, Tech, —, House Democrats, New, New Hampshire voters, YouMail, House Energy, Commerce Locations: New York, DC, —, New Hampshire

☆ House Democrats propose crackdown on fake, AI-generated robocalls
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The number of robocalls placed in the US peaked at around 58.5 billion in 2019, according to estimates by YouMail, a robocall blocking service. For all robocalls, including those Americans have authorized from their bank or doctor’s office, any use of AI would have to be disclosed under the proposed law. But even as officials have gained some ground on unwanted robocalls, those making the calls are increasingly turning to new technologies such as artificial intelligence to stay a step ahead. It would also seek to force phone providers to offer free robocall-blocking services to consumers and require the FCC to maintain a public list of the top 100 illegal robocall campaigns. Other Democratic co-sponsors of the legislation include Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, California Rep. Doris Matsui, Florida Rep. Darren Soto and Illinois Rep. Eric Sorensen.

Persons: Joe Biden, Frank Pallone, Pallone, ” Pallone, Jan Schakowsky, Doris Matsui, Darren Soto, Eric Sorensen Organizations: Washington CNN, House Democrats, New, New Hampshire voters, YouMail, CNN, House Energy, Commerce, Federal Communications Commission, Regulators, Industry, FCC, Federal Trade Commission, Democratic, Illinois, California Rep Locations: New Hampshire, California, Florida

☆ We can use AI to fight predatory robocalls, experts tell senators
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — Senators took a bipartisan stance against abusive robocalling on Tuesday, appealing to experts for enforcement measures as more scammers employ deceptive artificial intelligence. Witnesses told the Senate Commerce's Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband that generative AI can also work in regulators' favor. Mike Rudolph, chief technology officer for robocall-blocking firm YouMail, Inc., said the AI could flag insufficient mitigation controls in the Federal Communications Commission's Robocall Mitigation Database. "That's a great place where you could apply that [AI] technology and probably discard half the entries in the database in an afternoon or a week of work," Rudolph said. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., chair of the subcommittee, said robocalls have eroded the public's trust in the nation's communications networks.

Persons: robocalling, Mike Rudolph, Rudolph, Sen, Ben Ray Luján, Chuck Schumer Organizations: WASHINGTON, Senate, Communications, Media, Inc, Federal Communications, Capitol

☆ Two guys who were fed up with spam calls created a ChatGPT tool that trolls telemarketers and wastes their time
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jolly Roger is a telephone service that uses AI to fight back against pesky telemarketing calls. With the prevalence of robocalls across the country, Jolly Roger serves as a way to fight back. A telephone service called Jolly Roger harnesses ChatGPT and voice modulation software to create and read scripts to telemarketers. There were 4.7 billion spam calls made in November 2022 and 5.08 billion this past May, according to YouMail's robocall index. Until a world where dubious calls from unidentified numbers exists, Jolly Roger will do its best to alleviate the annoyance.

Persons: Jolly Roger, pesky, Whitey Whitebeard, Sally, telemarketers, Roger Anderson, Anderson, Steve Berkson, Berkson, Steve, Sid Berkson, Berkson's, ChatGPT, it's Organizations: Morning, Street Journal, robocalls, Force Locations: Washington, Arizona

The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday that it had blocked all U.S. phone companies from taking calls from a tiny communications company accused of sending robocalls that push fraudulent student loan relief services. “Today we’re cutting these scammers off so they can’t use efforts to provide student loan debt relief as cover for fraud,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in an emailed statement. It identified a single company, UrthAccess, as the central origin for a substantial amount of student loan spam. UrthAccess was by far the single biggest provider of student loan robocalls in recent months, Quilici said. It was responsible for more than 40% of all student loan robocalls in October, the FCC said.

Search resuls for: "YouMail"

7 mentions found