New FTC rules for chatbot vendors

Overview and explanation

Hi AI ethics enthusiasts,

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), one of the US federal agencies, has recently issued important guidelines for chatbot vendors, a development that is causing significant changes in the AI industry. These guidelines help understand regulators’ expectations and can be used as a framework for responsible chatbot development and deployment.

This post explains what these new rules say.

For dessert, an AI-generated take on this post in in retro-futuristic style!

The New Rules

Let's examine the five key guidelines that chatbot vendors need to follow:

1. Maintain Accuracy in Claims

The rule: Don’t misrepresent what these services are or can do

• The FTC has warned companies about making false or unsubstantiated claims about AI or algorithms.

• The FTC has also repeatedly advised companies not to use automated tools to mislead people about what they’re seeing, hearing, or reading.

• The FTC’s cases against companies on this ground include cases against WealthPress, DK Automation