Many callers will work out that they're talking to an AI within a sentence or two, and you should tell the rest in your greeting. Saying it up front costs you almost nothing, some states require it, and it avoids the one reaction that really loses callers: feeling tricked. What matters more than the disclosure is what comes right after it, which is a useful answer and an easy way to reach a person.
What callers notice
Today's AI voices are natural enough that the voice alone won't always give it away. ModPhone offers more than 50 voices and responds in under a second, so callers don't sit through the long pauses that older phone bots were known for.
People pick up on other things. The agent never sounds rushed, has no office noise behind it, and knows your fee schedule or pickup calendar instantly and exactly. Some callers simply ask: "Wait, am I talking to a real person?" Plan for that question, because how the agent answers it matters more than whether the caller guessed.
What the law says
This is a summary, not legal advice. If you operate in a regulated profession or several states, check with your own counsel.
There's no single federal rule for answering your own business line with AI. The FCC's 2024 ruling that AI-generated voices count as "artificial" voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act is about outbound robocalls, not about how you answer calls people make to you.
Some states have written rules that do reach an AI receptionist:
- Maine prohibits using an AI chatbot or other computer technology in trade in a way that may mislead a reasonable consumer into believing they're dealing with a human, unless the consumer is clearly told they are not. Violations are treated under the state's Unfair Trade Practices Act.
- Utah requires a business using generative AI with consumers to disclose it when the person clearly asks whether they're talking to a human. Disclosing clearly at the start and throughout the interaction gives a safe harbor from enforcement, and certain high-risk interactions in regulated occupations must disclose up front (summary by Davis Polk).
Call recording is a separate question with its own rules. ModPhone does not record call audio unless you switch recording on, and it does not play an automatic "this call may be recorded" notice. If you turn recording on, add that sentence to your greeting. Consent rules differ from state to state; the Digital Media Law Project keeps a state-by-state guide.
The simplest way to satisfy all of this is one line in your greeting.
Why telling callers works better anyway
The law is the floor. The bigger reason is how people feel about AI on the phone. In a Gartner survey of 5,728 customers, 64% said they'd prefer companies didn't use AI in customer service, and their top concern was that it would become harder to reach a person.
That concern is fair, and it tells you what to fix. A caller who is told up front judges the call on whether it helped. A caller who finds out halfway through spends the rest of the call wondering what else you weren't straight about. And a caller who knows they can ask for a person at any time has much less reason to hang up. If most of your callers want a human voice no matter what, compare the options in AI receptionist vs answering service.
How to word the greeting
ModPhone's default greeting already discloses it: "Thank you for calling [Company Name]. This is [Agent Name], your AI assistant. How may I help you today?" Most offices should keep that shape and change the names.
A few versions that work:
- "Thanks for calling [Firm Name] CPAs. This is Ava, the firm's AI assistant. How can I help?"
- "Thank you for calling the City of [City Name]. I'm the city's AI assistant, and I can help with trash, permits and bills, or connect you to a department."
- "[Shop Name], this is Sam, our AI assistant. Are you calling to book a visit or about a car we have?"
Keep it to one or two sentences. Callers want to get to their question. Type your real business name straight into the greeting so it's pronounced the way you say it. If recording is on, add "This call may be recorded." Giving the agent a first name is fine as long as the words "AI assistant" come right after it.
Then cover the direct question. In ModPhone, the Core Instructions box holds rules for how the agent behaves. Add one line: "If a caller asks whether you are a person, say you are an AI assistant and offer to connect them with someone."
Make "you can ask for a person" true
Disclosure only builds trust if the way out works. Before you point real callers at the agent, set up the hand-off using ModPhone's transfer options:
- Add a transfer number. This is where the call goes when someone asks for a person without naming anyone.
- Add departments with the names your callers use ("billing," "service," "permits"), each with its own number.
- If calls might ring a cell phone, turn on waterfall routing. It rings your list in order, and whoever answers presses 1 to accept, so a call never ends up in someone's personal voicemail.
- Turn on the callback offer. If nobody picks up, the caller can press 1 to be called back, and you get an email with their number and the call summary.
- Call your own number and say "Can I talk to someone?" Then ask for each department by name.
When there's truly no one available, such as at 11 p.m., the agent says so, answers what it can, and the call summary is waiting in your inbox in the morning. Calls that still need a person show up in a Needs attention list.
When a caller hangs up anyway
Some will. Every answered call appears in your call history with the caller's number, how long it lasted and a transcript, so a 10-second call from a local number is easy to spot and return. If you see a pattern, read the transcripts: often the greeting is too long, or the caller asked for something the agent didn't know.
Common questions
Do I have to tell callers they're talking to an AI?
In some places, yes, and it's the simplest choice everywhere. Maine requires clear disclosure when a consumer could be misled into thinking they're talking to a human, and Utah requires a truthful answer when a caller asks. One line in your greeting ("This is Ava, our AI assistant") covers both.
Can callers tell an AI receptionist from a person?
Often, though not always from the voice alone. Modern AI voices sound natural and ModPhone responds in under a second, but many callers notice the tone or simply ask. Because ModPhone's default greeting says it's an AI assistant, most callers know from the first sentence.
Will callers hang up on an AI receptionist?
Some will, often because they worry they can't reach a person. Telling callers up front, answering their question quickly and letting them ask for a person at any point keeps more of them on the line. Short calls in your call history show you who to call back.
What should the AI say if someone asks whether it's a real person?
It should say plainly that it's an AI assistant and offer to connect the caller with someone. In ModPhone, add that as a rule in Core Instructions, and make sure a transfer number is saved so the offer can be kept.
Do I need to tell callers the call is recorded?
Only if you record, and then often yes. ModPhone saves a written transcript of every call but doesn't record audio unless you turn recording on, and it doesn't play an automatic recording notice. If you enable recording, add "This call may be recorded" to your greeting and check your state's consent rules.
What to do this week
This week, call your own business line and listen to the first ten seconds the way a stranger would. Then try the demo on your own website and ask it the question callers ask: "Am I talking to a real person?"