John Curtis wants to create AI tool to help identify scam attempts

WASHINGTON — Utah Rep. John Curtis has a proposal to help Americans wade through the seemingly endless slop of spam texts and emails that would direct a federal agency to develop an artificial intelligence tool to analyze such communications and identify possibly fraudulent activity.

Curtis, a Republican congressman, and senator-elect, introduced the Spam Communications Assessment and Mitigation (SCAM) Platform Act Thursday, which, if passed, would direct the Federal Communications Commission to create an online “tool that uses artificial intelligence to assist the public in identifying likely scams.” The tool would be required to be able to analyze “emails, text messages, website addresses, and scans or photographs of physical materials” and provide the user with a likelihood that the material is part of a scam.

“Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their efforts to deceive Americans,” Curtis said. “This legislation harnesses the power of AI to address evolving scam tactics. The SCAM Platform Act would provide a secure, user-friendly tool to help individuals quickly determine whether a communication they’ve received could be fraudulent.”

The FCC already has online guides for identifying various phone scams, filing complaints with the agency, and how to stop robocalls and texts. Unwanted calls are the top complaints received by the agency, according to its website.

Curtis serves on the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, which is tasked with overseeing the FCC and general electronic communications legislation. Congress is out of session for the Thanksgiving holiday and will meet for three weeks in December before the next Congress is sworn in, but Curtis is hopeful his bill will be considered by then.

The SCAM Platform Act can pass as a stand-alone bill, or as part of a larger package. If it is not passed before the end of the year, it would need to be reintroduced after the 119th Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3.

Government and AI

Since the release of ChatGPT nearly two years ago, governments have been increasingly interested in harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and guarding against its potential downsides. Congress hasn’t been known to be the most nimble when it comes to adapting to emerging technologies, but lawmakers in Washington have been exploring options for mitigating worst-case scenarios having to do with biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons.

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney — whose seat Curtis will fill in January — was among a group of bipartisan senators who proposed a framework for AI regulation earlier this year.

The Biden administration has also been working on rules to limit U.S. investments in artificial intelligence in China, and another government commission has proposed an initiative similar to the Manhattan Project to fund development of new artificial intelligence systems, per Reuters.

In Utah, lawmakers have created a so-called regulatory sandbox where companies working on AI development can partner with the government, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to have a seat at the table when it comes to regulation of the industry. The state launched its Office of Artificial Intelligence in July.