Can an AI receptionist use a human name like 'Sarah'?
- The short answer
- An AI receptionist can use a human name like Sarah, as long as your callers are clearly told they're speaking with an AI assistant. The name is rarely your legal problem. Letting a caller believe Sarah is a person is. Maine's §1500-DD covers exactly that on spoken calls. GreetKeeper keeps its disclosure on, so a named assistant stays on the right side of the rule.
The longer answer
You probably want a name because it makes a call feel friendlier. "Hi, this is Sarah at Oak Street Dental" lands better than "You have reached an automated system." You want the warmth without the legal exposure.
Maine Title 10 §1500-DD has been in effect since October 1, 2025. It bars an AI in trade or commerce from misleading a reasonable consumer into thinking they're talking to a human. The exception is a clear and conspicuous notice. The law names aural communication, so it reaches your phone line.
Utah's AI Policy Act, as amended by SB 226 and in effect from May 7, 2025, goes further for regulated occupations. If you run a medical, legal, accounting, nursing or psychology practice, you must disclose the AI verbally at the start of the conversation.
What about California?
California has no statute that governs disclosure by an inbound AI receptionist. You'll see two laws quoted for it, and neither fits.
SB 1001, the B.O.T. Act, covers bots that are online accounts on websites and apps. Your phone line isn't one of those.
AB 2905 covers outbound calls placed with automatic dialing-announcing devices. Your receptionist answers calls; it doesn't place them.
Rules in this area change quickly, so read this as general information rather than legal advice. If your practice sits in a regulated occupation, ask your own counsel how the Utah wording applies to you.
How GreetKeeper handles it
You write GreetKeeper's greeting, so you choose how the assistant introduces itself. A line like "Hi, I'm Sarah, the AI assistant at Oak Street Dental" keeps the name and the notice in one breath.
GreetKeeper's disclosure setting stays on and plays at the start of the call. That timing is what Utah asks of your practice if you're in a regulated occupation, and it covers Maine's notice too.
Each number on your account can carry its own greeting. A law office line can open with the full spoken disclosure while a second location keeps a shorter one, both under one login.
Naming your AI assistant
Is it illegal for an AI receptionist to pretend to be human?
In Maine it is actionable when a reasonable caller is misled and wasn't clearly told. Utah requires regulated occupations to disclose at the start. The safe practice in every state is a named assistant that says it's an AI.
Does telling callers it's an AI make them hang up?
A caller with a routine request usually just carries on. The caller who finds out halfway through is the one who feels tricked. An up-front notice protects your reputation as well as your legal position.
What is a good greeting for a named AI assistant?
Business name, the assistant's name, the word assistant, and an open question. For example: "Thanks for calling Oak Street Dental. I'm Sarah, the practice's AI assistant. How can I help today?" That's under 10 seconds.
Hear it take one of your calls
Two minutes, your own scenario, no card.