Is AI calling legal in the US?
Yes, for the calls it's built for. Calls you ask it to make to businesses, or to people who gave you their number or agreed to be called, under the consent and disclosure rules for AI voices.
US law treats an AI-generated voice as an artificial voice, so those rules apply. Your simp says it's an AI at the start of every call, never calls without your say-so, given call by call or in advance, and never makes sales calls.
MaddieOutgoing - AI numberGood morning, how can I help?
Hi, this is Maddie, an AI calling from Simp for Alex. This call is transcribed.
What US law says, in general.
Each rule below is a general summary of an official source. None of it is legal advice, and the rules can change.
AI voices
The FCC treats an AI-generated voice as an artificial voice under the TCPA, so a call that uses one needs the called party's prior express consent, apart from emergencies and exemptions.
You promise to ask it to call only a business, or a person who gave you their number or agreed to be called.
From the US terms, section 8
Saying who is calling
An artificial-voice message has to say clearly, at the beginning, who is responsible for the call.
At the start of every call it says it's an AI calling from Simp for you, by your first name, and that the call is transcribed.
From the US terms, section 9
Recording
Federal law allows a call to be recorded by someone on it, or with one party's consent. Some states, Washington and Florida among them, need every party's consent.
Calls aren't recorded as audio. They're transcribed as they happen, and every call says so at the start.
From the US terms, section 10
Sales calls
Artificial-voice calls that advertise or telemarket face stricter rules, such as prior express written consent for a call to a home phone and a way to opt out.
It can't make telemarketing, sales, fundraising, debt collection or political calls, or call numbers in bulk.
From the US terms, section 13
Does my simp say it's an AI?
Every call opens with it saying it's an AI calling from Simp for you, by your first name, and that the call is transcribed. It never claims to be you.
Simp sets this by the rules of the country the call is made in, and in the US every simp works this way.
- Proactive
- It says it's an AI at the start of every call, and that the call is transcribed.
From the US terms, section 9
It says it's an AI at the start of every call.Ask if it's an AI and it says yes.MaddieThe introductionGood morning, how can I help?
Hi, this is Maddie, an AI calling from Simp for Alex. This call is transcribed.
Are calls recorded?
Not as audio. Here is what happens instead.
Transcribed, not recorded
Calls are transcribed as they happen. Afterwards you get the outcome, a summary and the transcript.
Live, not saved
You can listen while a call is happening. The audio is processed live and isn't stored.
Told at the start
Every call opens by saying it's an AI and that the call is transcribed.
Your transcript and notes stay in your app for 30 days. While Help improve Simp is on, a copy with your details taken out may be kept for up to 12 months to improve Simp. It starts on, and you can turn it off in the app.
From the US terms, section 10
Can it call anyone, any time?
No. It never calls without your say-so, given call by call or in advance as rules you set for your AI apps.
AI apps you connect can set up a call for you, within the settings you choose.
From the US terms, section 11
- It never calls without your say-soA call waits for your go-ahead, or follows your say-so given in advance, as rules you set for your AI apps, on a plan with autonomous mode.
- Repeating calls are approved onceWhen you set the series up.
- Always from a Simp numberNever from your own number, and it never disguises where the call comes from.
- Not a bulk diallerIt only rings numbers you approve. It can't work through a list or dial in bulk.
- Calling hoursYour simp only calls between 8am and 9pm, in the time zone of the person or business it's calling. Calls to a toll-free number follow these hours in your own time zone.
What will it say about me?
Only what you've allowed. Apart from your first name, which it gives on every call, you decide what your simp may share, what it has to ask you about first, and what it never gives out.
It never gives out your passwords, PINs or security answers.
From the US terms, section 9
What your simp is allowed to do- First name
- Surname
- Account number
- Callback number
- Date of birth
- Card details
- Home address
- Passport number
What if they won't talk to an AI?
That's their right. Some people would rather speak to a person, and that's fine. Your simp doesn't argue or try to talk them round.
It ends the call and tells you, so you can pick it up yourself. If they ask not to be called again, Simp stops calls to that number.
From the US terms, section 9
They say noThey'd rather not speak to an AI.
Your simp ends the callPolitely, without pushing.
You hear about itIt's in the call summary, so you can call them yourself.
Questions about AI calling and the law.
Can someone use Simp to make scam calls?
Not without breaking the terms and leaving a trail. Every call needs the account holder's say-so, given call by call or in advance as rules they set for their AI apps, goes out on that account's AI number, and opens by saying it's an AI calling from Simp. Bulk calls, sales calls and deception are against the terms, and Simp can refuse or end a call that breaks them.
Does the person I'm calling have to agree to speak to an AI?
The FCC says a call made with an AI-generated voice needs the called party's prior express consent, apart from emergencies and exemptions. The US terms ask you to have your simp call only businesses, or people who gave you their number or agreed to be called. Whoever answers hears at the start that it's an AI, and can end the call like any other.
Are calls recorded?
Not as audio. Calls are transcribed as they happen, and your simp says so at the start of every call. You see the transcript and summary in the app for 30 days.
Who hears the call?
You, if you choose to listen live, and the person on the other end. Your persona is the only AI on the line.
Can my simp pay for things?
Card details are only given out on a call you approved first.
Is this the same in the UK and Canada?
Not quite. In Canada a simp also says it's an AI at the start of every call. In the UK it says so whenever anyone asks. Each country has its own page and its own terms.
Let your simp make the call.
Every plan comes with an AI number of your own, and a simp to answer it.
This page explains how Simp works and what official sources say in general terms. It isn't legal advice.