Group asks regulators to allow AI-voice political calls to your cell phone

A conservative group called Club for Growth has asked US regulators to let political campaigns send AI-voice robocalls to cell phones without first getting the person's consent. The request has not been approved. But with the 3 November 2026 midterm elections near, it has raised fears that voters could get fake calls that sound real.

What changed

Club for Growth filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the agency that sets rules for phone calls. It wants political calls using artificial or prerecorded voices, including AI-generated ones, allowed without prior express consent. That means no need to get the call recipient's okay first. If the FCC granted the request, the rules would change. They have not changed yet.

The group's president, David McIntosh, said Club for Growth wants the FCC to treat "First Amendment-protected political speech" the same way it treats calls about package deliveries, bank accounts and doctors' appointments.

Why people are worried

Democrats oppose the petition. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged the FCC to reject it. He warned that campaigns could use AI to copy their opponents' voices, sending a message that is "at best, disingenuous and, at worst, a blatant lie," according to Reuters.

Voice copying has already been used in US politics. In 2024, a robocall imitating then-President Joe Biden urged New Hampshire voters to skip the state's Democratic presidential primary. The FCC later proposed a $6 million (£4.4 million) fine against a political consultant over those calls. That shows regulators took it seriously. It does not show that Club for Growth plans to mislead anyone.

Where things stand

A spokesperson said on 19 October that the FCC had no plans to issue an order on the petition at that time. That is not a formal rejection. One commissioner said the agency could act in the days ahead. So approval should not be treated as certain or as imminent.

The people most exposed are US voters with mobile phones, and relatives who may trust a familiar-sounding voice on the line. For now, the rules are unchanged, so nothing new has been authorized.

What to do

The steps in the box above are short and simple. The main idea is to treat any unexpected political call as unverified, especially one that tells you how or whether to vote, and to confirm details through official election sources instead.

What happens next

The key question is whether the FCC acts before the election. If it does, the size and content of any AI-voice calls would depend on how the rules were rewritten and how campaigns chose to use them. That is not known yet. Until it is settled, a familiar voice is not proof of who is calling.