The FTC has proposed new regulations for AI voice cloning technology after testing revealed that the latest systems produce speech indistinguishable from real human voices in 97% of blind listening tests.
The proposed rules would require: explicit consent before cloning anyone's voice, watermarking of all AI-generated audio, and criminal penalties for using cloned voices for fraud or impersonation.
Voice cloning fraud has already caused significant harm. The FBI reports over $2 billion in losses from voice clone scams in 2025, typically involving calls to elderly family members impersonating relatives in distress.
The entertainment industry is also affected. Voice actors have sued AI companies for training on their performances without consent, and SAG-AFTRA has made AI voice protections a central issue in contract negotiations.