FCC moves to ease political robocall restrictions, opening door to AI-generated voices

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has advanced a request for public comment on a petition by a conservative group to loosen rules on political robocalls, including those using artificial intelligence-generated voices.

Federal law currently bans most robocalls to cellphones without prior consent. The Club for Growth, a right-leaning economic policy group, is seeking a waiver that would allow political organizations to use artificial or prerecorded voices in unsolicited wireless calls, arguing that current rules are outdated and dampen free speech. The Republican-led FCC could rule on the request as soon as late October.

Consumer advocacy groups warn that the change could trigger a surge of unwanted, partisan and potentially misleading automated calls in the final stretch of the election campaign. The risks were highlighted in 2024 when thousands of New Hampshire voters received a robocall featuring an AI-cloned voice of then-President Joe Biden. Anna Gomez, the sole Democrat on the FCC, said she opposes the move and called it a potential “tsunami of robocalls and misinformation.” The public comment period ends on Oct. 19, 2026.