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Overview

The ai_assistant_start command lets you attach a pre-configured AI assistant to an active call. The assistant takes over the conversation, handles speech recognition, and responds using a voice of your choice — no additional infrastructure required. This is different from Gather using AI, which is purpose-built for collecting structured data. ai_assistant_start is for open-ended, conversational AI experiences.

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Prerequisites

Once you have an assistant, note its id (format: assistant-xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx).

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Start an AI Assistant on a Call

Send a POST request to ai_assistant_start with the call_control_id of the active call: 
curl -X POST https://api.telnyx.com/v2/calls/{call_control_id}/actions/ai_assistant_start \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "assistant": {
      "id": "assistant-xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx"
    }
  }'
That’s it. The assistant is now live on the call.

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Webhooks

Once started, the assistant emits the following webhooks:
EventDescription
call.conversation.endedThe AI conversation has ended
call.conversation_insights.generatedConversation summary and insights are available

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Stop the Assistant

To stop the assistant and return control to your application: 
curl -X POST https://api.telnyx.com/v2/calls/{call_control_id}/actions/ai_assistant_stop \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{}'

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Next Steps