Memphis Standard

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), the ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, has issued a warning to senior citizens about the rising threat of artificial intelligence (AI) scams. This announcement comes as part of a hearing focused on protecting consumers from AI-enabled fraud and scams.

During her remarks, Senator Blackburn highlighted that older Americans are frequently targeted by these scams. She stated, "Older Americans are the ones who have been hit most frequently with this, as an emerging threat." She further explained how fraudsters use AI to create highly personalized and convincing attacks at scale, making them appear to come from trusted sources. The senator emphasized that these tools are becoming more prevalent and harder to combat.

Senator Blackburn also addressed the impact of AI scams in Tennessee, noting both positive and negative aspects of AI usage in various sectors such as healthcare and logistics. However, she expressed concern over the increasing financial losses due to scams: "The FTC with the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book listed that scams increased a billion dollars over the last 12 months to $10 billion."

To counteract these threats, Senator Blackburn called for legislative action to protect citizens' privacy online. She remarked, "Consumers need to be armed with knowledge about what is happening here," emphasizing the need for an online privacy standard.

In related efforts, Senator Blackburn has introduced legislation alongside other senators aimed at combating AI deepfakes and protecting individuals' voice and likeness from AI-generated replicas. Her previous initiatives include the COPIED Act and NO FAKES Act designed to address harms caused by AI misuse.