ElevenLabs CEO says customers should know when a bot answers

ElevenLabs co-founder and CEO Mati Staniszewski says companies deploying AI voice agents should, for now, tell callers they are speaking with software. The point is less about a technical limitation than trust: a voice agent can sound human enough that customers may feel misled if they discover the truth midway through a support call. The comments come as ElevenLabs pushes its speech technology beyond audiobooks and dubbing into enterprise customer service; it says it is running at $600 million in annual recurring revenue. Staniszewski also said the company is prepared to accept thinner gross margins—the money left after providing the service—to expand usage, while treating a possible 2028 IPO as a goal to prepare for, not a firm date.