Why AI calls are treated differently
Under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), an AI-generated voice counts as an artificial or prerecorded voice (FCC ruling, February 2024). That puts every AI call in the strictest consent category:
Penalties are 1,500 if willful, with no cap and a private right of action. Class actions are routine.
What the consent text must say
A generic “I agree to receive calls from Brand” checkbox does not authorize AI voice calls. Valid written consent for AI outreach includes all of the following, shown to the person before they agree:1
Who and how
The brand name, and that calls or texts may be autodialed and use an artificial, prerecorded or AI-generated voice.
2
Which number
The specific phone number the person is authorizing.
3
No condition of purchase
The sentence “Consent is not a condition of purchase.”
4
For texts
Message frequency, “message and data rates may apply”, and STOP / HELP instructions.
5
A record
Timestamp, source page, the exact disclosure text shown, and the person’s action (checkbox, signature, or reply). Nexor stores this for SMS consent captured through the API or the web widget.
Federal rules that apply in every state
What Nexor enforces automatically
For SMS from a US number to a US number, sending is blocked unless every check passes:- A current consent record exists for that exact phone number, and the lead is not opted out, unsubscribed or marked do-not-contact.
- The recipient’s local time is between 8:00 am and 8:59 pm, inferred from the area code. Florida numbers stop at 7:59 pm. Unknown area codes use a narrow, safe window.
- STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END and QUIT revoke consent immediately. Only START, YES or UNSTOP from the subscriber, or an explicit re-grant through the API, reopen the channel.
- A per-recipient monthly cap matching the volume declared to the carrier.
- The first commercial text is a single English opener with the required identification and opt-out language, and the opt-in confirmation goes out automatically.
Your checklist before a US campaign
Consent
Consent
Every lead has written consent that names artificial or AI voice (for calls) or automated texts (for SMS), the number, and “not a condition of purchase”. Keep the proof.
Hours and days
Hours and days
Outbound hours set in the recipient’s time zone, inside the state window, with Sundays and holidays excluded where the state bans them.
Frequency
Frequency
No more than three calls plus texts per 24 hours on the same subject to Florida, Oklahoma or Maryland numbers.
Disclosures
Disclosures
The agent says it is an AI assistant and that the call is recorded in its opener. See AI disclosure and recording.
Registration
Registration
About thirty states require telemarketer registration, some with a bond. Most exempt calls to consumers who consented or are existing customers, but the exemptions differ by state.
State-by-state rules
Hours, Sunday and holiday bans, consent laws, frequency caps and recording rules for all 50 states.
AI disclosure and recording
Which states require the agent to say it is an AI, where recording needs everyone’s consent, and how to write the opener.