Glossary
What is a voice AI agent?
A voice AI agent is software that holds a spoken, back-and-forth conversation in real time. It listens, understands intent with a language model, and replies in a natural voice — and can take actions like booking, transferring, or sending a text mid-conversation.
The pieces behind a voice AI agent
A voice agent chains three capabilities: speech-to-text (transcribe the caller), a language model (understand and decide), and text-to-speech (speak back). Low latency across these steps is what makes the conversation feel natural rather than stilted.
Voice agents on the phone
On a business phone line, a voice AI agent acts as a receptionist: greeting callers, answering questions from the business's own information, scheduling, and escalating to a human when needed. It handles many calls at once and is available around the clock.
See also
Related terms
Ahoya is an AI receptionist that answers every call 24/7.
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