Jul 9, 2025
How to make voice AI agents faster?
Jack Rossi Mel - Talk AI
Founding Team
What does “latency” mean in conversations?
How fast are the best systems?
Why is low latency so critical?
Does speed vary by setup?
How can businesses ensure good speed?
What does “latency” mean in conversations?
Latency is the delay between when a person speaks and when the AI replies. Humans are used to near-instant responses. Anything longer than one second feels unnatural.
How fast are the best systems?
Top platforms now reply in under 750 milliseconds. That’s fast enough to feel human-like. Some systems even handle back-channelling - saying “uh-huh” while listening - to fill gaps naturally.
Why is low latency so critical?
Because conversations collapse when flow breaks. Imagine asking a question and waiting three seconds for a reply - it feels robotic. Low latency keeps callers engaged and stops them hanging up.
Does speed vary by setup?
Yes. Latency depends on:
● Internet speed
● Distance from servers
● Complexity of AI processing
● Telephony provider performance
How can businesses ensure good speed?
Test before deploying. Run sample calls, check average latency, and choose providers with low-lag infrastructure.