Ever wondered if you're speaking to a real human being or some sophisticated machine while calling up a customer care line? A new US law aims to settle the issue and perhaps obligate call centres to inform callers that artificial intelligence is being used on the phone.
Around 70 per cent of Americans share the frustration with automated phone systems compared to human support, so this new bill aims to ensure clarity and preserve US jobs.
Additionally, corporations that transfer jobs out of the US may face fines. This bill would significantly affect the way organisations run their customer service and where they choose to employ their staff.
A Bill to Bring Back Jobs?
Senator Ruben Gallego aims to ensure consumers who contact customer service are indeed speaking to a person, and one based in the US, if they prefer. Moreover, he's acutely aware of the threat AI poses to American jobs and is committed to protecting the roughly three million people working in call centres across the country, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Sick of yelling “REPRESENTATIVE” into the phone 10 times just to talk to a human being?
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) July 30, 2025
My new bill makes sure you don’t have to talk to a clanker if you don’t want to. pic.twitter.com/9aUv478gSP
A new bipartisan bill, the 'Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025,' introduced by Senator Gallego and Senator Jim Justice of West Virginia on Wednesday, aims to keep these jobs in the US by restricting federal benefits for companies that move them abroad.
Protecting Workers and Consumers
Businesses opting to send call centres abroad would need to notify the Department of Labour at least 120 days prior, under the proposed bill. The DOL would also be tasked with maintaining a publicly accessible list of employers that have shifted call centre operations overseas.
The bill specifies that employers would remain on the list for five years, unless they actively work to return call centre positions to the US. Moreover, companies on this list would lose eligibility for new federal grants and federally guaranteed loans, while businesses not on the list would receive preferential treatment for federal contracts.
Notably, DOL would be tracking all call centre job reductions connected to artificial intelligence. The bill aims to protect consumers by mandating that call centre employees promptly reveal their physical location, and if AI is involved.
AI, Offshoring, and Your Next Call
Furthermore, under the proposed legislation, customers would have the right to request a transfer to a US-based call centre if they choose.
'People want to have the option of speaking to a human or AI. This isn't new — who hasn't pressed zero repeatedly to try to skip the automated systems because they want to speak with a human? This is a consumer check people want to see,' Sen Gallego told CBS MoneyWatch.
Safeguarding American Jobs and Data
He also noted that keeping call centre jobs in the US not only supports domestic employment but also helps protect American consumers' data. 'We are concerned about what it means for American consumers if they're not talking to a human based in the US, when it comes to security around their private information,' Sen. Gallego said.
On the subject of AI taking over human-performed tasks, Gallego acknowledged that the technology is bound to cause some job losses. 'There will be changes, and AI will cause some unemployment. We can't stop it entirely,' he added.
Balancing AI's Rise with Human Jobs
The senator also mentioned he isn't entirely against AI handling some customer service tasks, noting, 'If someone has an outstanding experience with an AI bot, there won't be a problem as long as that person knows they're talking to an AI versus a human.'
The proposed bill has received an endorsement from the Communications Workers of America (CWA). 'This much-needed legislation protects US call centre jobs and addresses the growing threats posed by artificial intelligence and offshoring,' (CWA) Director of Government Affairs, Dan Mauer, said in a statement.
'Historically, companies have offshored customer service jobs to avoid paying good union wages and benefits. Now companies are using AI to de-skill and speed up work and displace jobs, which undermines worker rights and degrades service quality for consumers.'
If passed, this bill could dramatically reshape how American companies handle customer service — and who picks up when you call.
