On 2 February 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Declaratory Ruling, taking a significant step in addressing the growing concern of unwanted and illegal robocalls and robotexts. This ruling clarifies the application of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, particularly those capable of generating human-like voices.

Specifically, the ruling confirms that the TCPA's restrictions on the use of "artificial or pre-recorded voice" encompass current AI technologies that simulate human voices or generate call content using pre-recorded voices. This means that calls employing AI-generated voices fall under the TCPA, thus requiring prior express consent from the called party except in cases of emergency or exemption