Is AI transcription legal and safe for support calls?

AI transcription for support calls is generally legal, but compliance with consent laws varies regionally, with specific requirements in the US, EU, and UK. In the US, 13 states require all-party consent, while the EU mandates a legal basis under GDPR, and unconsented recording is a criminal offense in Germany. Transcription vendors like Gladia offer different data handling policies, where customer audio is not used for model training on higher-tier plans, and PII redaction must be explicitly configured. Compliance involves managing the entire lifecycle of audio data, from consent to storage and deletion, with particular attention to PII and PCI DSS requirements for handling sensitive information. Misconfigurations can lead to significant legal exposure, and thorough vendor evaluation, beyond accuracy benchmarks, is crucial for regulated environments. Data residency options and appropriate certifications, such as SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, are essential to ensure compliance with data protection standards like GDPR and CCPA.