# AI disclosure rules for phone agents in the US: what to tell callers *Written by [Notaray team](https://notaray.com/about#notaray-team). Published: September 29, 2026. Updated: September 29, 2026.* > **Short answer** No single federal rule in the US tells every business to announce an AI on every inbound call, but the rules are tightening. The FCC treats AI-generated voices as artificial voices, California requires disclosure when a bot is used to mislead in a sale, and the FTC says there is no AI exemption from the laws against deceptive practices. **This guide is not legal advice.** It is a map of the main rules a business meets when an AI agent talks to its callers. The rules are new, they differ by place and they change, so check the current text and ask a lawyer. This guide covers US rules and leaves out Canada, including Quebec, so ask a lawyer where your callers are. ## Do you have to tell callers they are talking to an AI? Often the answer is not a flat yes in law, and it is still yes in practice. A caller who learns halfway through that they were talking to a machine is a caller who may not trust the booking. Telling every caller at the start, in plain words, is the safest default and it costs a sentence: “You have reached the booking assistant for [business name]. I am an AI, and I can take a message or book you in.” Where the law does require disclosure, that sentence usually meets it. ## What did the FCC decide about AI voices? In February 2024 the US Federal Communications Commission issued a declaratory ruling, FCC 24-17, that voices generated with artificial intelligence count as an artificial voice under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. In practice, calls that use an AI-generated voice are subject to the consent rules the Act sets for artificial or prerecorded voices. The ruling was aimed at unwanted robocalls and robotexts, so it matters most if your business places calls, such as callbacks or reminders, using an AI voice. It does not by itself say what to announce on an inbound call. ## What does California require? California Business and Professions Code § 17941 makes it unlawful to use a bot to communicate with a person in California online, with the intent to mislead them about its artificial identity in order to encourage a purchase or sale, unless the bot is disclosed. The disclosure must be clear, conspicuous and reasonably designed to inform the person. The statute is written around online communication, and whether it reaches a phone call is a question for a lawyer, but its standard is a sensible one to meet. ## What does the FTC say? The US Federal Trade Commission has said there is no AI exemption from the laws against unfair or deceptive practices, and in September 2024 it announced actions against companies over deceptive AI claims. For a phone agent, a careful reading is not to imply that a human is on the line when one is not, and not to describe what the agent can do beyond what it does. ## What should a business do in practice? - Say at the start of the call that the caller is speaking with an AI assistant, and offer a person. - Use the caller’s language for the disclosure. - Do not give the agent a human name and backstory that suggest a person. - Keep a note of what the agent said and when, so you can show what a caller was told. - If your agent places calls, get advice on the consent rules for artificial voices before it does. Notaray is in development at Agnotiq. Which of these behaviors ship, and in what words, is being decided with design partners and a lawyer’s review, so this list describes a standard and not a released feature. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is there a US federal law that requires an AI to say it is an AI on an inbound call? Not as one general rule as far as we are aware, which is why you should check the rules for your state and your kind of call. Several states and agencies are working on this, so check again. ### Does the Telephone Consumer Protection Act cover AI voices? The FCC ruled that AI-generated voices are artificial voices under the Act. That affects calls a business places using such a voice. ### Do the rules apply if the AI just takes a message? The FCC ruling is about calls made with an AI voice, so an AI that takes messages on inbound calls is outside its main focus, and honesty rules still apply. Ask a lawyer about your case. ### Which language should the disclosure be in? The language the caller is using. A notice the caller cannot follow does not inform them. ## Sources - [FCC 24-17: Declaratory Ruling on AI-generated voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act](https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-24-17A1.pdf), Federal Communications Commission. Document dated: February 8, 2024. Read on: September 29, 2026. - [California Business and Professions Code § 17941 (bots)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=17941), California Legislative Information. Read on: September 29, 2026. - [FTC Announces Crackdown on Deceptive AI Claims and Schemes (press release)](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/09/ftc-announces-crackdown-deceptive-ai-claims-schemes), Federal Trade Commission. Document dated: September 25, 2024. Read on: September 29, 2026.