AI voice agent opt-out: build the stop request into the call

The FCC treats AI-generated voices as artificial voices. So on telemarketing calls to residential and mobile lines, an AI voice agent must offer an automated opt-out within 2 seconds of saying who is calling, then add the number to the do-not-call list and end the call. From 25 Nov 2026, that opt-out can be your exclusive way to revoke consent.

Most teams design the happy path first: the greeting, the qualification questions, the hand-off to a rep. The opt-out is usually an afterthought, handled by a line in the prompt. That is the wrong place for it. It is a call-flow requirement with a timer, a list write and a hang-up, and it should be built like one.

Why the artificial-voice rules apply to AI agents

In its February 2024 declaratory ruling, FCC 24-17, the FCC confirmed that the TCPA’s limits on “artificial or prerecorded voice” calls “encompass current AI technologies that generate human voices.” That brings two sets of rules with it. First, consent: prior express consent for these calls, and prior express written consent for telemarketing. Our article on AI voice agent consent rules covers that part. Second, the content rules for every artificial-voice message, which is where the opt-out lives.

What 47 CFR 64.1200(b) requires on the call

Paragraph (b) of 47 CFR 64.1200, checked as of October 2026, sets three duties for artificial or prerecorded voice messages.

Rule	What the agent must do
(b)(1)	At the beginning, state clearly who is responsible for the call. A business uses the name it is registered under with the state.
(b)(2)	During or after the message, give a phone number for that business. For telemarketing to residential subscribers, it must accept do-not-call requests during regular business hours.
(b)(3)	For telemarketing, or calls under certain exemptions, to a residential line or a mobile number: offer an automated, interactive voice or key press opt-out, with brief instructions, within 2 seconds of the identification. Using it must record the number on your do-not-call list and immediately end the call.

The voicemail rule is easy to miss. When the message is left on an answering machine or voicemail, (b)(3) also requires a toll-free number that connects the person to the same automated opt-out and records their number. An agent that leaves voicemails needs that number in its script, not just the business line.

What changes on 25 Nov 2026

The FCC’s order FCC 26-67 was published in the Federal Register on 26 Oct 2026 and takes effect on 25 Nov 2026. It rewrites the revocation rules in 64.1200(a)(10) to (12). The Federal Register text says this supersedes the earlier delayed date of 31 Jan 2027 for that part of the rule.

Topic	From 25 Nov 2026
Exclusive ways to revoke	You may name any of these: an automated voice or key press opt-out on the call; a reply text with “stop”, “quit”, “end”, “revoke”, “opt out”, “cancel” or “unsubscribe”; or a website or phone number you designate.
Disclosure	The method you name must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously on the call or in the text.
If you name none	You must process revocation requests made by any reasonable means.
Scope	A request made on an informational call can apply only to that category of informational calls. A request made on a telemarketing call revokes consent to all your future telemarketing calls and texts.
Deadline	Honor requests within a reasonable time, not more than 10 business days from receipt.

For a voice agent, the first row is the useful one. If the agent offers a voice and key press opt-out and says so clearly on every call, that mechanism can be your designated method. Our guide to TCPA consent revocation rules covers the text and website options.

A script to copy

Keep the identification and the opt-out together, at the top, before any question.

“Hi, this is an AI assistant calling for Northwind Payroll, LLC, about the payroll demo you requested on our website. If you’d like us to stop calling, say ‘stop’ or press 9 at any time. Is now a good time for two quick questions?”

If the person says stop, presses 9, or says something with the same meaning, the agent says one short sentence and hangs up:

“Understood. We won’t call this number again. Goodbye.”

Then the system, not the model, does the rest:

1. Writes the number to your do-not-call list with the time, the call ID and the words used.
2. Ends the call. No retention offer, no “before you go”.
3. Cancels any queued calls or follow-ups to that number across every campaign.
4. Logs the opt-out on the CRM record so a rep doesn’t dial it next week.

Recognize more than the keyword. “Take me off your list”, “don’t call me again”, “remove my number” and “I’m not interested, stop calling” all mean the same thing. When the agent isn’t sure, treat it as an opt-out. Calling back to ask is the worst option.

A worked example of the 10-day limit

Here is an example timeline. A contact says “stop calling” to your agent on Monday 30 Nov 2026. Ten business days later is Monday 14 Dec 2026. A team that exports opt-outs from call logs once a week, then uploads them to the dialer, can easily place 3 or 4 more calls in that gap. Each one is a call to someone who revoked consent.

An agent that writes to the do-not-call list during the call closes the gap to zero. The rule allows 10 business days. Your process shouldn’t need them.

Test it before go-live

• Say “stop” in the first 5 seconds, mid-sentence and at the end. Each time the call should end and the number should appear on the list.
• Press the opt-out key during the agent’s greeting.
• Use paraphrases and a strong accent, and check the transcript.
• Let it reach voicemail and confirm the toll-free opt-out number is read out and works.
• Re-run the campaign and confirm the opted-out number is skipped.

How DialSavvy handles this

DialSavvy Agents are in early access, and we build the first agent with each customer, including the identification, the opt-out wording and where opt-outs are written. Compliance checks before every call, including your do-not-call list and calling hours in the contact’s time zone, are live. AI-voice consent checks are coming. Outbound agents call people who agreed to it. Reps make the cold calls.

Book a demo and bring your current agent script. We’ll walk through the opt-out path line by line with you. This article is general information as of October 2026, so check your own calls with your counsel.