Agora (NASDAQ: API) is doubling down on conversational AI. The real-time engagement platform has expanded support for OpenAI’s Realtime API, now generally available, giving developers a toolkit to build AI agents that respond faster, understand more naturally, and juggle multiple input types in real time.
The move makes Agora one of the first platforms to fully integrate OpenAI’s multimodal large language model (MLLM), enabling developers to skip much of the heavy lifting typically required to stitch together conversational AI systems.
Real-Time Gets Realer
Tony Zhao, CEO of Agora, framed the update bluntly: “Real-time multimodal interaction is the missing piece for AI agents to feel truly human.” By embedding the Realtime API into Agora’s Conversational AI Engine, the company aims to bridge that gap with features designed for lifelike back-and-forth exchanges:
- Automated Greetings: Instant awareness of new sessions for more natural onboarding.
- Mixed-Modality Interaction: Smooth switching between voice and text in a single session.
- Flexible Turn Detection: Fine-grained control over conversational flow.
- Selective Attention Locking: A proprietary filter that cancels out background chatter so AI doesn’t lose focus mid-task.
For developers, the promise is simpler adoption of the Realtime API and faster time-to-market, backed by Agora’s global SDRTN® real-time network infrastructure.
From Customer Support to Robotics
The use cases go well beyond chatbots. Agora cites verticals like customer service, education, fan engagement, and gaming—but perhaps the most striking example comes from Carbon Origins, a robotics startup using the tech for hands-free heavy equipment control.
By integrating Agora’s conversational AI with OpenAI’s Realtime API, Carbon Origins’ Constellation AI platform automates checklists and system operations for its autonomous robot fleet. “Operators can focus on strategic tasks and orchestration instead of manual execution,” said CEO Amogha Krishna Srirangarajan.
The Bigger Picture
Agora’s expansion highlights the arms race in conversational AI infrastructure. Rivals from Twilio to Meta are layering in AI-powered communications, but Agora’s advantage lies in its blend of network infrastructure and developer-first tooling, now enhanced with OpenAI’s latest real-time model.
If the bet pays off, expect AI agents built on Agora’s stack to start sounding a lot less like machines—and more like colleagues.
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