Realtime steering: interrupt, barge-in, redirect, and guide the AI

Realtime steering in AI systems allows users to dynamically interact with AI assistants, enabling actions like interrupting, redirecting, and guiding responses without losing context or restarting sessions. This capability is increasingly expected by users who desire more natural, human-like interactions with AI, moving beyond static, one-turn exchanges. However, implementing realtime steering is challenging due to the limitations of traditional communication models like stateless HTTP, which struggle with mid-stream redirection and maintaining shared conversational state. Essential components for supporting realtime steering include a transport layer that facilitates low-latency, bidirectional messaging and session continuity, ensuring that control signals reach the AI system efficiently and maintain conversational context across devices. Ably AI Transport provides a solution by offering a transport layer that supports these requirements, allowing developers to build responsive, controllable AI interactions without overhauling their existing infrastructure.