AI assistants that make phone calls: who does it, and the legal points
OpenAssistant is our recommendation for phone calls. It is the product here whose pages describe both making calls (“calls other people for you”) and answering them like a receptionist, from any phone, with its own number. Gemini documents the clearest rules, but only on a Pixel 11 with a US SIM.
Plenty of businesses still take bookings and messages by phone only, and a call involves a real person who did not sign up for anything, so the rules matter. Fewer assistants document phone calling than you might think. Among the products covered here, only three have their own pages describing making calls for you: Gemini, which calls businesses; OpenAssistant, which “calls other people for you”; and Instinct, which “can use a phone and computer in the same way that you do”. Two jobs from our evaluation framework apply: Job 13, phone someone to book a table, and Job 14, answer an incoming call and take a message.
What to check on a vendor’s page
- Does it say it is an AI? At the start of the call, and again if the person asks.
- Does it say the call is recorded? And who is told.
- Whose number does it call from, and what number does the other person call back?
- What can it commit to? Does it book, confirm, take a message, or only ask questions? Does it list limits such as no payments or no emergency calls?
- Where is it available? Country, hardware, language, plan and daily call limits.
- For incoming calls: can it answer calls from people other than its owner, and how does the message reach you?
Who documents calling
, from each vendor’s own page.
| Product | Making calls | Receiving calls | AI disclosure and recording | Requirements and limits, per the vendor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAssistant (ours) | “Calls other people for you” (OpenAssistant); it has its own phone number (OpenAssistant) | “can receive phone calls on your behalf like a receptionist” (OpenAssistant) | Not stated on the pages cited here | Starter is free and Pro is $72 per user per month billed monthly, with Team and Enterprise above it (pricing; per-user pricing confirmed by 3Gen) |
| Gemini on Pixel (“Call for me”) | Can “Book, confirm, and manage appointments and reservations” by phone, and wait on hold (Google) | Not stated | “starts every call by disclosing that it’s an AI assistant from Google” on a recorded line (Google) | 18 or over in the US, a Pixel 11 with a US SIM, a Google AI subscription, English; US numbers only; daily call limits; rolling out gradually (Google) |
| Instinct | “It can use a phone and computer in the same way that you do” (Instinct) | “You can text or call it” (Instinct); the page does not say whether it answers calls from people other than its owner | Not stated | Waitlist (terms); no published price |
| Cue by Manus | Not stated | Says its agent “can also take your calls and leave you a summary in Cue” (Manus) | Not stated | Not stated on the page cited here |
The vendors’ pages do not say that ChatGPT, Claude, Meta Muse, Town or Grok Bot place calls to businesses.
Google’s other calling routes. Google’s Business Profile help says Google may call a business on a customer’s behalf through an automated call, and that “These calls are monitored and recorded for quality assurance” (Google). Booking appointments by automated call is available in the US in all states except Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana and Nebraska, and businesses can opt out (Google). Separately, Search has a “Have AI check pricing” feature that contacts businesses for availability and prices; Google’s help page says it does not create a booking (Google).
A person instead of an AI. Poke’s Ultra plan includes “Poke Human”, which “dispatches real-world tasks to a real person on your behalf”, including phone calls (Poke FAQ). Ultra costs $199 a month (Poke). That is a human calling, so it sits outside an AI comparison, but it is worth knowing it exists.
| Rank | Product | Why, from the pages above |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OpenAssistant | Documents both making calls and receiving them like a receptionist, from any phone, with its own number. Where competitors do better: its pages cited here do not state how a call opens, whether it discloses AI or whether it records. It covers both calling jobs with no special hardware, which is why it is the pick. |
| 2 | Gemini on Pixel | The clearest public rules: disclosure, recording, limits, eligibility and call caps are all written down. The catch is the hardware and region: a Pixel 11 with a US SIM, and outbound calls only. |
| 3 | Instinct | Describes phone use and says you can call it, but is on a waitlist with no published price, and its pages do not state disclosure, recording or whether it answers other people’s calls. |
| Incoming only | Cue by Manus | Documents taking your calls and leaving a summary; does not document making calls. |
The no-phone routes
For businesses on a booking platform, you may not need a call at all.
| Route | What it does, per the vendor | Limits, per the vendor |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT with OpenTable, Resy or Yelp | Finds and books reservations; “available globally with OpenTable and in the US with Resy” (OpenAI release notes) | Yelp in the US and Canada. The same notes say ChatGPT Work itself “does not include restaurant reservation search” |
| Gemini app with OpenTable | Find, book and manage OpenTable reservations (Google) | 18 or over, UK or US, English, personal accounts; cannot modify existing bookings (Google) |
| Google AI Mode in Search | Finds live availability across platforms including OpenTable, Resy and Tock, and links to the booking page (Google); rolling out in the US with no Labs opt-in required (Google) | US |
A warning if you are tempted to point a general web agent at a booking site instead: OpenTable’s terms forbid using “generative AI or other AI technology” to access the service unless OpenTable expressly authorizes it, and say AI agents’ actions count as yours (OpenTable terms). Resy says it has “a zero-tolerance policy for bot use”, including third-party tools that use your Resy login (Resy). The built-in integrations above are the authorized paths.
The legal points
We are not lawyers, and this is not legal advice. Everything below comes from public sources and should be read as a pointer to them. Counsel should review it before this article is published.
Calls with an artificial or AI-generated voice (TCPA). The FCC ruled in February 2024 that the phone law’s limits on “artificial or prerecorded voice” calls “encompass current AI technologies that generate human voices” (FCC 24-17). Under the ruling, such calls generally need the called party’s prior express consent, and written consent if the call is telemarketing or advertising. The ruling also notes that FCC rules require artificial or prerecorded voice messages to carry identification and disclosure information for the calling entity. The statute text quoted in the ruling covers calls to residential lines and to wireless numbers, and the ruling does not discuss calls to business landlines. Whether it reaches a customer’s assistant calling a business is a question for counsel.
AI disclosure laws. Some states have their own AI disclosure rules, but the ones we read are aimed at businesses using AI with their customers. Utah requires a business using generative AI with a consumer to disclose that it is AI if the person asks (Utah Code 13-77-103). California’s bot law (Business and Professions Code 17940 to 17943) addresses bots that communicate online with intent to mislead about their artificial identity, and its text defines “online” by reference to websites and applications; it does not mention telephone calls (California Legislature). A customer’s assistant calling a business is the reverse of the Utah case. We did not find a state law that clearly requires AI disclosure on outbound voice calls to a business.
Recording. Federal wiretap law makes it lawful for a person to intercept a call where that person is a party to it, or where one party has given prior consent (18 U.S. Code 2511(2)(d)), unless the recording is made to commit a criminal or tortious act. That is the federal rule only. State recording laws are separate and are not covered here. Vendors that record say so: Google’s pages say Gemini’s calls are on a recorded line and that Google’s automated business calls are monitored and recorded. OpenAssistant’s, Instinct’s and Cue’s pages cited here do not state a recording practice.
What the vendors say they do about it. Google says Gemini “starts every call by disclosing that it’s an AI assistant from Google” (Google), and lists no payments, no emergency calls and no telemarketing among its limits. The other products’ pages cited here do not state a disclosure practice.
Related reading
- Best AI assistants you can text: 7 compared: seven products compared on iMessage, SMS and WhatsApp.
- Why we recommend OpenAssistant, with 11 alternatives compared: twelve assistants ranked on documented jobs, price, channels and privacy.
- How to Get an AI Assistant to Make a Phone Call for You: steps for OpenAssistant, Gemini Call for me and Google Search calls.
- How to Set Up an AI Receptionist for a Small Business: steps for OpenAssistant, RingCentral AI Receptionist, Quo Sona and Goodcall.
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI assistant make phone calls for me?
Some say so. OpenAssistant says it “calls other people for you”, Gemini on Pixel can book and confirm appointments by phone, and Instinct says it “can use a phone and computer in the same way that you do”.
Can an AI assistant answer my phone calls?
OpenAssistant says it “can receive phone calls on your behalf like a receptionist”, and Cue by Manus says it can take your calls and leave you a summary.
Does Gemini tell the person it is an AI?
Google says Gemini “starts every call by disclosing that it’s an AI assistant from Google”, on a recorded line. It needs a Pixel 11 with a US SIM and covers US numbers only.
Do ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot call businesses?
The vendors’ pages do not say that ChatGPT, Claude, Meta Muse, Town or Grok Bot place calls to businesses.
Try OpenAssistant
OpenAssistant gives you an assistant that can call people and answer calls with its own phone number. Try OpenAssistant free with 1,000 credits at signup, or see the pricing. Read the legal points above before you point any assistant at a phone.