FCC: AI voices in calls are artificial under the TCPA. A checklist

If you plan to place calls with synthetic speech, the FCC's declaratory ruling of 8 February 2024 says calls using AI-generated voices are an artificial voice under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, so the consent rules for artificial or prerecorded voices apply. For telemarketing the document requires prior express written consent. A TTS API does not change that; it only makes the voice.

What the ruling says

I read the ruling text on the FCC document server. It addresses calls, not published videos, so a narrated promo video is outside its scope. A voice agent that dials people is inside it.

Checklist before a synthetic-voice call

This is a checklist of questions, not legal advice.

• Do you hold consent from each called number, in the form the ruling requires?
• Can you show when and how it was collected?
• Do you log which script and which voice were used per call?
• Is the voice a licensed or consented voice?

Where Sume fits

The Sume TTS Router docs describe character-metered text to speech billed at provider list times 1.25. Sume makes the audio file. Calling, consent and compliance stay with whoever places the call. Keep the job id of each audio file so a call script and its voice can be matched later.