Unthinkable AI Voice: New Value, New Risks & Regulatory Challenges

Unthinkable AI Voice: Creating Value Safely in the New Goldmine

Join this Unthinkable Lab, a unique and interactive event designed to challenge conventional thinking in the telecoms & voice industry. It's not the "usual suspects" talking to each other either - expect attendees with very different backgrounds and points of view.

Strategy: Voice services are starting a renaissance. Where's the value?

Voice is no longer a boring old commodity. It is evolving into an intelligent, multi-layered platform for communications, interaction, entertainment, identity, automation, trust, healthcare, and customer/employee engagement.

AI tools, plus integration with cloud, SIP and IoT, and new business models are opening fresh opportunities – from fraud prevention and transcription to conversational interfaces and ambient services. New applications are being created to address the needs of underserved segments, and voice content is now widely consumable and creatable at scale by AI, opening new opportunities for good – or ill.

Will telcos and CPaaS providers exploit the shift? Or will they get bypassed again? Will new AI Realtime APIs for speech-to-speech change the game?

There are opportunities for telcos, techcos and others, and innovation is flourishing - but where are the opportunities?

Old-school telco telephony minutes and revenues have slumped in recent years. The original telecoms killer-app, the "phone call" has 140 years of history, but has struggled to retain relevance in the face of innovative, more tailored and purposeful alternatives. Some services have been directly replaced by 3rd-party VoIP apps and UCaaS platfoms, for consumers and businesses.

And a lot of interactions and conversations that used to be done by phone have switched to apps, web or messaging. You don't need to call for a taxi or a restaurant booking, or phone HR to request vacation days.

But AI, together with APIs and "the Internet of mics and speakers", can help reinvigorate voice capabilities and services. In some cases, it already has - smart speakers are ubiquitous, AI-generated podcasts are exploding - and in some parts of the world, voice is already the main interface for chatbots and AI applications. On the other hand, that interface might be access via the usual telco/PSTN path... or it might be direct to the LLM.

There are also trust issues to resolve. The growth of scam and spam calls, and in some cases the inconvenience of taking a call, has significantly reduced many people’s willingness to take and make calls. Voice deepfakes are already in an arms-race with solutions which spot inauthenticity.

Regulation may act as an incentive – or a brake. And opportunities are available to multiple stakeholders in the telecoms and technology value chain.

This workshop explores where the value lies, who will capture it, and what strategies telcos, device vendors, app and cloud players, CP/CC/UC-aaS providers, policymakers, and investors need to consider now.

Key questions:

• What are the opportunities and propositions in voice?
• Where are the underlying sources of value – and how can AI extend them?
• Who are the players and innovators?
• Where are the opportunities for investors?
• Will Hyperscalers or GenAI leaders hoover up all the value?
• Where is there still value for telcos – and how / which segments?
• Does UK/EU regulation help voice evolution?

Aspects the session will address directly:

• Voice Primer: What are voice applications and how does AI change the game?
• The AI Voice Value Chain - and where do and can CSPs and others play?
• Stakeholder actions: how must the ecosystem evolve?
• Session goal: What are the key actions needed to make Voice valuable again?

About the session

This is not a traditional conference; it is an interactive, solutions-driven session, bringing together key telecoms and adjacent stakeholders to think beyond the possible—to think the Unthinkable. Through facilitated discussions, scenario mapping, and collaborative exercises, we will explore the fundamental shifts necessary to reshape the telecoms landscape.

Who should attend?

This Unthinkable Lab is designed for senior executives and decision-makers involved in strategy, policy, investment, and innovation within the telecoms sector, including:

• Telco CxOs, and technology, strategy, and regulatory teams: are we aware of the latest developments, have we reflected the new potential of AI Voice in our portfolio?

• Technology vendors and infrastructure providers: do our customers understand where we are going and the benefits? Do we have the right offerings for their needs?

• Investors: where might there be opportunities for investment, M&A, etc.?

• Regulators and Government: Do we have the right regime in place? Does our approach fit with adjacent regulation domains such as privacy, cybersecurity, health and identity?

• Telecom users and representative groups: How does AI Voice alter the relationship with telcos for enterprises & consumers?

• Industry analysts and consultants: participate and share your wisdom

Workshop format and agenda

The Unthinkable Lab will be a highly interactive session, limited to 30 participants to ensure meaningful discussions, networking, and engagement. Attendees are expected to participate throughout the full day.

Facilitators & Speakers

The Unthinkable Lab will be led by Dean Bubley and Andrew Collinson, seasoned analysts, strategists and facilitators in telecoms, technology policy, and business models. Together, we bring years of expertise in guiding disruptive discussions and fostering meaningful change in the industry.

We are independent thinkers and have frequently disagreed throughout 17 years of successfully working together. We believe that the skills and knowledge we’ve developed throughout our careers and in our unique working relationship can help to produce a different outcome for other industry stakeholders.

Dean is well known for his role as an active industry commentator and analyst through Disruptive Analysis, and via many industry events and online channels. He brings extensive knowledge of the European market, and global mobile, network and regulatory matters. He has 15 years of experience in running "Future of Voice" workshops. The future is now.

Andrew, now running Connective Insight, was previously Research Director at STL Partners, and specialises in stakeholder dynamics and strategy in connected technologies. He is also Associate Research Director at the CPaaS Acceleration Alliance.

Format and Compliance

The goal of the Unthinkable Lab is to discuss potentially challenging issues in a multi-stakeholder environment.

It will be held under the Chatham House rule and will not be recorded. Specific comments cannot be attributed to individuals or companies. We ask participants to act with tact and mutual respect.

We anticipate that our transparency and facilitation skills, the integrity of the participants and the wide range of stakeholders present, will ensure that Anti-Trust or other legal considerations will not be an issue. Any such considerations will be clarified, and at-risk discussions observed will be noted and immediately terminated.

Why attend?

· Explore new answers and possibilities to previously intractable challenges

· Engage with leading thinkers and decision-makers tackling telecoms' biggest challenges

· Debate transformative ideas in a candid, interactive setting

· Contribute to shaping the future of European telecoms strategy

· Build valuable connections with key industry stakeholders

This Unthinkable Lab is your opportunity to step beyond conventional wisdom and take part in defining the next era of telecoms.

Secure your place now – spaces are limited!