Prerecorded Voice
This refers to messages delivered with a voice recorded before a call, now explicitly including AI-generated voices under TCPA regulations.
Definition
Refers to a message delivered using a voice that was recorded prior to the initiation of a telephone call. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), calls made using a prerecorded voice to residential telephone lines without prior express consent are generally prohibited, absent an emergency purpose or exemption. The FCC's Declaratory Ruling on AI-Generated Voice Calls explicitly states that AI technologies capable of generating human voices fall under the existing definition of 'artificial or prerecorded voice' within the TCPA. This integration ensures that the long-standing protections against unsolicited prerecorded messages are extended to cover sophisticated AI-driven voice communications, which can be indistinguishable from human-recorded messages. The ruling reinforces the principle that the method of voice generation, whether traditional recording or advanced AI, does not alter the fundamental consumer right to control unwanted automated communications.