What Are Ireland's Rules for AI Marketing Calls?

Short answer: you are responsible for following them, and the line the Data Protection Commission (DPC) draws is between mobiles and landlines. Under the ePrivacy Regulations (S.I. 336 of 2011), marketing calls to a mobile phone are prohibited unless the subscriber has consented, either to the caller or generally in the National Directory Database (NDD). Landline marketing calls are allowed unless the person has objected or is on the NDD opt-out register. We could not verify how an AI voice agent is classified, so plan on consent first.

What does the DPC say about mobile phones?

The DPC's FAQ (read 25 October 2026) says that under the ePrivacy Regulations marketing calls to mobile phones are prohibited unless the caller has been told by the subscriber that they consent to such calls on their mobile, or the subscriber has given general consent to marketing calls, recorded in the NDD for that mobile number. The general rule it gives for electronic direct marketing is the clear, affirmative consent of the recipient, which is how it describes Regulation 13. A parliamentary answer from 2012 adds that it has been an offence since July 2011 to make an unsolicited marketing call to a mobile without the subscriber's prior consent; it is old, so the DPC page is the better guide.

And landlines?

The DPC says that a person listed on the NDD opt-out register will still receive marketing calls from people they do business with, unless they tell those people they do not want them on their landline. In other words, the register is not a blanket ban where there is an existing relationship, but an instruction from the person overrides it. A failure by a landline provider to record someone's opt-out is a matter for ComReg, the communications regulator. Summaries of the Regulations also say a marketer who fails to respect a request to stop commits an offence; we did not read the statute itself, because the Irish Statute Book blocked automated reading.

What about automated calls?

Summaries of the Regulations, through ComReg documents, describe the prohibition as covering unsolicited calls by automated calling machines as well as telephone calls, for direct marketing to subscribers who have not consented. We could not read the text of the provision. Whether a conversational AI voice agent counts as an automated calling machine is something we could not verify, so the safe approach is the strictest: do not place marketing calls to anyone who has not consented.

Are there calling hours?

We found no fixed calling-hours rule in the sources we could read. The platform sets no calling window of its own. You set hours per campaign on the called person's clock, and we suggest hours you would be comfortable defending to the DPC or in a complaint.

What does the product do and not do?

The product gives you tools: a do-not-contact list you keep, calling hours you set per campaign, an opening line you write, and a transcript and outcome for every call. It does not check the NDD, and it does not collect or check consent. Those duties are yours.

How should I set up an outbound campaign?

1. Start with consent you can prove. A customer who asked for a callback, or who opted in to calls when they signed up, is the clearest case. Record the date and how.
2. For mobiles, consent is the rule. For landlines, check the NDD opt-out register using its own tools, and honour any instruction not to call.
3. Open honestly. Say who is calling, from which business, why, and offer to stop.
4. Honour a "no" at once. Put the number on your do-not-contact list so the campaign never dials it again.
5. Read the transcripts for the first fifty calls.

When should I not use outbound at all?

If your list is cold, or you cannot show where the consent came from, do not begin with outbound. Answering your own inbound calls, confirming appointments and following up customers who asked to hear from you are far safer and usually pay back sooner. Marketing texts and WhatsApp messages to individuals also need clear consent in advance, according to the DPC. Read the official text; this is not legal advice. See the Ireland page, the AI receptionist page, voice campaigns and AI receptionists for Irish small businesses.