How to create a phone-based voice agent

A phone-based voice agent is an AI system designed to conduct full conversations over the phone by understanding free-form speech, determining intent using a Large Language Model (LLM), and replying in synthesized voice, thereby eliminating the need for human intervention in well-defined tasks like scheduling and support. The system integrates four key components: telephony for call connectivity, a streaming speech-to-text model for real-time transcription, an LLM for processing and generating responses, and a text-to-speech model for delivering replies. To ensure a natural interaction, the architecture focuses on minimizing latency, with an end-to-end target of around 800 milliseconds from when the caller stops speaking to when the agent begins responding. The guide emphasizes the importance of accurate speech-to-text conversion and managing latency effectively to create a seamless user experience. AssemblyAI's Universal-3 Pro Streaming model is highlighted for its low latency and high accuracy, particularly in handling phone audio and alphanumeric details. The document provides insights into building such agents using platforms like Twilio and AssemblyAI, recommending starting with managed platforms for rapid deployment and transitioning to custom solutions for greater control over performance metrics.

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