What is Conversational AI?

Conversational AI enables machines to understand, interpret, and respond naturally to human language. At Telnyx, Conversational AI merges cutting-edge telecommunications infrastructure with advanced AI capabilities, delivering seamless, ultra-low-latency voice interactions.

Core technologies

Real-Time Media Streaming: Telnyx’s global private MPLS network combined with WebSocket technology streams raw audio instantly, ensuring high-quality, real-time voice conversations with minimal latency.
Speech-to-Text (STT): Converts real-time live audio streams into text for immediate processing.
Large Language Models (LLMs): Advanced AI models interpret language and generate accurate, context-sensitive responses. You can use pre-trained models or customize your own.
Text-to-Speech (TTS): Transforms AI-generated text responses into realistic, human-like speech instantly streamed back to users.

How It Works

We control every aspect—from network infrastructure to GPU-accelerated AI processing—to provide unmatched reliability, speed, and security. Telnyx Conversational AI operates through a fully integrated, bi-directional real-time streaming process:

Capture voice input: User speech is instantly captured and transmitted securely to Telnyx servers using WebSocket.
Speech-to-Text processing (speech recognition): Immediate transcription of audio into text happens directly on Telnyx’s edge-based GPUs.
AI-Driven Response Generation: AI analyzes user intent and generates context-aware responses.
Text-to-Speech output: The AI-generated responses are converted into natural speech and streamed back instantly to the user.

This integrated pipeline ensures smooth, natural conversational experiences with ultra-low latency.

Get started with the API

To start an AI assistant on a live call, use the Call Control ai_assistant_start command. You need an AI assistant configured in the Telnyx Portal and an active call via Call Control.

curl -X POST https://api.telnyx.com/v2/calls/{call_control_id}/actions/ai_assistant_start \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TELNYX_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "assistant": {
      "id": "your-assistant-id",
      "instructions": "You are a friendly customer support agent.",
      "model": "gpt-4o"
    },
    "greeting": "Hello! How can I help you today?",
    "transcription": {
      "engine": "telnyx"
    }
  }'

Prerequisites

Create a Telnyx account and generate an API key.
Set up a Call Control connection to receive inbound calls.
Create an AI assistant in the Telnyx Portal or use the assistant configuration inline.
When a call arrives, answer it via Call Control and then start the AI assistant using the command above.

Models & Supported Languages

Telnyx provides flexible AI model options tailored to specific business needs:

Pre-trained models: Optimized models for diverse conversational use cases are available immediately.

Custom AI Models: Fully customizable models tailored to specific industry requirements.
Languages and voices: TTS provider coverage is model-dependent. The available TTS voice catalog includes 3,800+ voices across 80+ language families and 200+ language or locale codes. Speech-to-text language coverage depends on the selected transcription model.

Popular Use Cases

AI-Powered Customer Support: Automate and enhance customer service interactions.
Virtual Assistants & Intelligent IVR: Create intelligent virtual agents for natural, real-time user interactions.
Real-Time Transcription & Insights: Instantly convert spoken conversations to text and gain actionable insights.
Call Center Automation: Increase efficiency, reduce operational costs, and improve customer experiences through AI automation.

​Core technologies

​How It Works

​Get started with the API

​Prerequisites

​Models & Supported Languages