- What the Real-Time Voice Chatbot Is
- Where Voice Chat Is Available
- How Voice Chat Works (High-Level)
- Provider and Model Requirements
- Enabling Voice Mode
- Browser and Device Requirements
- User Experience Characteristics
- Interaction Limits and Safety
- Frontend vs Backend Voice Chat
- Common Use Cases
- Limitations to Be Aware Of
- Best Practices
- What Real-Time Voice Chat Is Not
- Summary
The Real-Time Voice Chatbot extends the Aimogen chatbot with live voice input and voice output, allowing users to speak to the chatbot and receive spoken responses in near real time. This is not a text-to-speech gimmick layered on top of chat — it is a low-latency, conversational mode designed for interactive use.
Voice chat is optional and must be explicitly enabled per chatbot.
What the Real-Time Voice Chatbot Is #
The real-time voice chatbot allows:
- voice input from users (speech → text)
- immediate AI processing
- voice output responses (text → speech)
- continuous conversational flow
It behaves like a spoken conversation rather than a message-based chat.
Where Voice Chat Is Available #
Real-time voice chat can be enabled for:
- frontend chatbots
- backend chatbot (Playground)
Each chatbot decides independently whether voice mode is available.
How Voice Chat Works (High-Level) #
The voice chatbot operates in a loop:
- user speaks into the microphone
- speech is converted to text
- the text is sent to the AI model
- the AI generates a response
- the response is converted to speech
- audio is played back to the user
This happens continuously, creating a conversational experience.
Provider and Model Requirements #
Real-time voice chat requires:
- a provider that supports fast response generation
- a model suitable for conversational latency
- speech-to-text and text-to-speech support (direct or via provider tooling)
Not all models are suitable. Slower or reasoning-heavy models may cause delays or poor experience.
Voice chat configuration does not override normal chatbot model settings unless explicitly chosen.
Enabling Voice Mode #
Voice chat is enabled per chatbot.
You typically:
- enable real-time or voice mode in the chatbot settings
- choose compatible providers/models
- configure audio input/output options if required
- save the chatbot
Voice chat does not activate automatically.
Browser and Device Requirements #
Because voice chat runs in the browser:
- microphone access is required
- users must grant permission
- modern browsers are required
- HTTPS is required for microphone access
If permissions are denied, the chatbot falls back to text input.
User Experience Characteristics #
Real-time voice chat is designed to feel:
- immediate
- conversational
- hands-free
- interactive
Responses are typically shorter and more conversational than long-form text replies.
For best results, persona prompts should reflect spoken interaction rather than written explanations.
Interaction Limits and Safety #
Voice chat still respects:
- Aimogen usage limits
- provider rate limits
- logging rules (if enabled)
- GDPR and consent settings
Voice usage consumes API quota just like text chat.
Frontend vs Backend Voice Chat #
On the frontend:
- voice chat is user-facing
- consent and privacy rules may apply
- UI elements for microphone control are visible
In the backend (Playground):
- voice chat is for testing and experimentation
- no frontend visibility rules apply
- useful for validating latency and voice behavior
Common Use Cases #
Real-time voice chat is useful for:
- accessibility-focused sites
- hands-free support assistants
- onboarding experiences
- interactive demos
- educational tutoring
- conversational sales assistants
It is especially effective on mobile devices.
Limitations to Be Aware Of #
Real-time voice chat:
- depends heavily on network quality
- is sensitive to latency
- may struggle with long, complex answers
- is not ideal for large blocks of information
- may not work well with highly analytical models
It is designed for conversation, not documentation delivery.
Best Practices #
- use concise persona prompts
- prefer fast, chat-optimized models
- test on mobile and desktop
- ensure clear consent messaging
- provide a text fallback option
Voice chat should complement, not replace, text chat.
What Real-Time Voice Chat Is Not #
It is not:
- offline voice recognition
- a phone system replacement
- guaranteed real-time under all conditions
- a transcription service
- exempt from usage costs
It is an interactive AI conversation mode.
Summary #
The Real-Time Voice Chatbot enables spoken, low-latency conversations with AI inside Aimogen chatbots. It converts speech to text, processes it through the AI engine, and delivers spoken responses back to the user. Enabled per chatbot and dependent on provider and browser support, it is best suited for conversational, accessibility-friendly, and interactive use cases rather than long-form or analytical interactions.
