Judge questions whether Google’s AI call-recording violates California privacy law

In a San Francisco federal court, Google and plaintiffs clashed over a class-action accusing the tech giant of illegally intercepting customer-service phone calls with its Cloud Contact Center AI. The plaintiffs, including Misael Ambriz, claim callers to companies like Home Depot, Verizon, Uber and Discover were not told Google was listening and that the recordings were used to train its AI models, violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act.

Google, represented by Benjamin Berkowitz of Keker Van, argues consent was given via each company's privacy policy and that state wiretapping statutes only require consent to the recording itself, not to subsequent use. Judge Rita F. Lin questioned whether consent to a third-party listening covers undisclosed AI training, highlighting a legal gray area. Plaintiffs’ lawyer Jeremiah Nixon warned that a ruling for Google could permit other hidden third-party services in call centers. No ruling date was set.