Voice AI in Customer Service and the Call for Transparency

The CEO of ElevenLabs, a developer of voice-based AI technologies, has stated that businesses using voice bots in customer service should clearly inform users. The call focuses on disclosing that the voice on the phone belongs to an AI system rather than a human representative. This approach treats voice automation not merely as a technical implementation, but as a service design consideration that requires customers to know whom they are communicating with.

ElevenLabs’ voice infrastructure is used in customer service calls by various businesses. The CEO’s comments also draw a distinction regarding how long disclosure will remain necessary: businesses are encouraged to state this explicitly until speaking with AI becomes a routine expectation for consumers. The deciding factor here is not how widely the technology is used within a business, but what the caller expects about the nature of the conversation when making contact.

For businesses, the practical implication of this call is to include user disclosure within the scope of a voice AI project. Providing a brief, clear explanation at the start of a call could be one way to put this principle into practice. The purpose of the explanation is not to describe the technical infrastructure in detail, but to make it clear that the customer is communicating with an AI system. Disclosure can thus be designed as a natural part of the conversation flow, rather than as a statement disconnected from the service experience.

When considering transparency, the naturalness of a voice and who is conducting the conversation should be treated as separate issues. A voice system’s ability to speak clearly does not mean the user knows it is AI. Businesses should therefore adopt an explicit disclosure approach rather than assume customers will recognize this on their own. The CEO’s call points precisely to this gap in expectations, recommending that the presence of automation should not be left for customers to guess.

At X Mind Solutions, when evaluating voice AI applications, we recommend including the disclosure to users in the design process alongside automation flows and system integrations. The starting point for businesses should be to clarify what customers know when they enter the conversation. The ElevenLabs CEO’s call offers a concrete reminder in this respect: when transitioning to voice AI, businesses should consider not only how the service works, but also how it is introduced to users.