Is it legal to use an AI receptionist?

Inbound is very different to outbound

The regulatory weight in UK telephony sits on outbound marketing. PECR governs unsolicited marketing calls, the TPS and CTPS registers restrict who you may cold call, and automated marketing calls specifically require prior consent.

Answering somebody who chose to ring you is not covered by any of that. The caller initiated contact, and there is no marketing call being made.

The confusion is common and worth being clear about, because businesses sometimes decline a lawful inbound use on the basis of rules that apply to something else entirely.

Data protection is the real obligation

Calls contain personal data, and recordings and transcripts are personal data you now hold. That means a lawful basis, a privacy notice that reflects what actually happens, a retention period, and a processing agreement with any supplier.

This is the area where most businesses have work to do, and it is entirely manageable.

Transparency

There is no specific UK statute requiring you to announce that a caller is speaking to software. There are, however, good reasons to do it: consumer protection law prohibits misleading practices, and a caller who feels deceived is a complaint waiting to happen.

The practical answer is to say it plainly at the start. It costs nothing and removes the risk entirely.

Regulated sectors

Financial services, legal services and healthcare all have their own rules about what may be said and by whom. Nothing about using software changes those duties.

In practice this means configuring the assistant to gather information and book appointments while refusing to give regulated advice, which is how most firms in those sectors use it.

Accessibility

Consider callers who may struggle with an automated system, including those with hearing difficulties or speech differences. A straightforward route to a human is both good practice and, for service providers with duties under the Equality Act, a sensible adjustment.