As for what the FTC has actually been doing, it points to its crackdowns on illegal telemarketing last year, and its rules that ban the impersonation of governments or businesses. The agency also cites its Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), which places a number of restrictions on telemarketers — like when they can make their calls — and its clarification that the TSR applies to scam calls that use AI, too.

Last year, the FTC banned those extended vehicle warranty scams that many of us are familiar with. That ban followed the Federal Communication Commission’s proposal of a $300 million fine over one such campaign.

The FCC has played a part in other ways, too. The biggest US mobile carriers started complying with a new anti-spoofing protocol aimed at verifying that the phone number shown on consumers’ caller ID was actually the one that called them. The FCC also banned AI-generated robocalls, has cracked down on robocallers / robotexters that don’t let people opt out, and requires cell carriers to block likely-illegal robotexts.