As of now, AI robocalls are officially illegal as per FFC, bringing an end to the constant barrage of unwanted automated calls! ⚠️
This can be considered as a piece of bad news for businesses that were using it to interact with their willful customers. As a result, it makes it difficult for businesses to think of and make the next move! 🤔
Don’t worry! We will explain what your business can do about it and provide you with alternatives to AI robocalls.
In this blog, you’ll learn all about AI robocalls, whether they are illegal, and which laws govern their legality.
🔑 KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- AI robocalls are automated phone calls that are conducted by using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2024 have declared AI robocalls illegal.
- The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) governs AI robocalls by regulating laws, such as consent required, do not call registry, and restricting automated calls.
- Alternatives to AI robocalls are multi-line power dialers, local presence dialing, speed-to-lead software, and outbound call and text automation.
What are AI Robocalls?
AI robocalls are phone calls in which artificial intelligence and machine learning are used to recreate real-life conversations with humans. AI robocalls are typically used to trick you into thinking you’re talking to a real person and make the scam or unwanted call more believable.
So, don’t mistake them for regular robocalls because these AI-generated calls can understand and respond to what people say.
You would be shocked at how they imitate human behavior and make the conversation feel more natural and less like a machine. Because of this reason, more people are using them in different sectors of their business, such as marketing, customer service, or, unfortunately, even scams.
Are AI Robocalls Now Illegal?
Yes, AI robocalls are now illegal as enacted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2024. The main reason for banning Al robocalls is its ability to sound like a human, which increases the probability of scams or misleading marketing.
Similarly, other reasons for its ban are that it can bypass the regular robocall filters because it appears more like a regular call. Additionally, it can trick you into revealing your personal information like your social security number. It does so by creating a sense of urgency and trust for you regarding your information bleach.
Which Laws Govern AI Robocalls?
In 2024, the FCC banned AI robocalls by enforcing new laws and regulations. These new laws and regulations are governed by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to explicitly ban AI-powered robocalls.
The TCPA was first introduced in 1991 to regulate telemarketing calls and automated dialing systems. Fast forward to 2024, this act is used for regulating AI robocall laws. Here’s how it applies to AI robocalls:
- Restrict Automated Calls: With this Act, you can’t make calls using automatic telephone dialing systems and prerecorded messages. They are all restricted.
- Consent Required: Before sending automated texts or making robocalls, first the businesses need prior express written consent from the customers.
- Do Not Call Registry: The TCPA supports National Do Not Call Registry which allows individuals to register themselves to never send telemarketing calls.
If any laws of TCPA are violated, that will result in fines of up to $1,500 per incident as the FCC has all the authority to fine the lawbreaker per violation. Also, the call recipients have the option to file a lawsuit.
How AI-Generated Robocalls Affect Businesses And Consumers?
AI-generated robocalls have had a significant impact on customer and businesses, ever since their introduction.
Although AI robocalls help to efficiently deal with customers, they can also annoy people or make them feel uncomfortable. This will cause customers to have a negative opinion about the businesses that use them. So, it is important to have a balance between business efficiency and respect for your customers.
To keep a balance between your efficiency and respect for your customers, you have to evaluate some common factors, which are:
- Transparent Communication: The first and most important thing you can do is always be transparent to your customers about using AI for calls. Always make sure the customers are aware of the AI use and given you their consent to use it.
- Personalization and Relevance: Make people comfortable with this technology; you can do so by customizing phone calls for each customer and only making these calls when it’s relevant to call. It can make the calls feel more valuable and less like an intrusion.
- Ethical Use and Compliance: Conducting your calls by being ethical and within TCPA legal requirements is a must for your business. When using this technology, you should always prioritize customers’ privacy and consent by respecting their preferences and boundaries.
Alternatives To AI Robocalls
There’s no doubt incorporating AI into your business operation will definitely speed up manual tasks and help scale up your business. However, it is important to keep the balance between your efficiency and respect for your customers.
While AI robocalls make sense for your business practice, there are other alternative tools you can use to maintain your legal and ethical practice, which are:
- Multi-line Power Dialer: The multi-line power dialer as its name suggests, dials multiple numbers at the same time. Unlike an AI robocall, a person starts the dialing process and talks to the customer, who picks up the call. By using this, you can connect with a larger pool of potential customers.
- Local Presence Dialing: Local presence dialing, often done using a custom caller ID, helps you to make calls using a phone number whose area code will appear the same as the person you’re contacting. So, making a local presence will greatly improve your chances of connecting with the customer.
- Speed To Lead Software: Speed to lead refers to how quickly a business responds to a request for information from potential customers. To become a successful business, you have to make it your priority to reply right away when customers ask about your products or services.
- Outbound Call And Text Automations: Calling and texting automations are a way to keep track of contacting potential customers and current clients. By setting up automation, you can ensure that you never miss a call or text to customers. It will help you save time and give you more hours to concentrate on other important tasks.
Future Trends: AI In Business Communication
As AI technology keeps advancing, it’s very much expected that new AI tools will be used extensively in many ways. So, to counter that there will be more rules and regulations in place to safeguard consumers and prevent unethical use of AI.
For now, it’s best for your businesses to be careful and put themselves in the position of a customer and use just what’s only needed and good for them.
In other words, they should consider if the customer would find this type of communication annoying, deceptive, or intrusive in any way possible. If the answer is yes, there are alternative approaches that a business can use.
Conclusion
As AI continues to evolve, the FCC will likely enforce more regulations to protect customers and limit businesses from any unethical use of the technology. In this meantime, it’s best for businesses to follow TCPA laws enforced by the FCC, or if they want an option, they can use other alternatives.
However, businesses should always use these technologies ethically and more so use them by imagining themselves in the shoes of the customers. Make these calls not annoying or misleading. This will help your business grow rapidly within legal requirements.
