FTC attorney says agency concerned with generative AI use

Companies developing novel artificial intelligence (AI) tools might want to think carefully before laying off ethics personnel, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned.

The agency is closely tracking company use of AI tools for possible rule violations involving deception, discrimination, excessive manipulation, or unfairness, wrote Michael Atleson, an attorney in the FTC’s Division of Advertising Practices, in a blog post Monday.

Companies are now using chatbots and generative AI tools to influence people’s behavior, beliefs, and emotions. The FTC is likely to get involved if a chatbot directs people “unfairly or deceptively” into harmful decisions regarding finances, health, education, housing, and/or employment, Atleson said.