8x8 has added real-time voice translation to its AI Studio platform, now in early availability, letting contact centre agents handle customer calls across 13 languages without transferring callers or waiting for an interpreter. The update also introduces selectable AI models, one-click software connectors, and voice-led tools for building and converting call flows.
How real-time translation works
The system detects when participants are speaking different languages and translates automatically. Both the original speech and the translated output appear in the call record and the live advisor interface, giving supervisors a clear view of what was said on both sides during review.
The feature is designed to keep agents on the call rather than routing customers to a separate interpretation service. In many support centres, calls get transferred, delayed, or abandoned when an agent does not speak the caller's language. Real-time translation removes that friction point by letting both parties speak naturally in their own language.
8x8 linked the launch to recent transcription improvements in AI Studio, including the addition of OpenAI's GPT-Realtime-2 for accented and non-native speech. The company said those changes have increased reliability across different languages.
Model choice and system connectors
Users can now choose between Claude, Gemini, Grok, and ChatGPT on a per-agent basis across voice and text channels. Organisations can switch the model assigned to an individual agent without changing the wider platform, making it easier to match specific AI capabilities to specific tasks.
8x8 also introduced one-click connectors to more than 15 business applications, including HubSpot, Slack, Stripe, Atlassian, Twilio, GitHub, Asana, Figma, Intercom, Dropbox, and ClickUp. These links let agents take action inside systems customers already use, cutting the need for separate integration work.
Voice-led building and IVR conversion
AI Studio's builder now accepts speech input through push-to-talk dictation. The system transcribes the speech, cleans up filler words and self-corrections, and presents the resulting text for review before submission. A separate tool reads existing 8x8 auto-attendants and converts them into AI Studio call flows, aimed at businesses still running traditional phone-tree IVRs that want to modernise without rebuilding from scratch.
The update also includes a website widget that combines voice and text interactions, image sharing, and live agent transfer in a single embeddable interface.
Emil Ivov, Vice President of Product for Video Platform and Services at 8x8, described the language issue in personal terms. "I've spent much of my life living abroad, and I know from experience how isolating a language barrier can be. As an international student in France, even simple tasks like contacting a service provider or calling customer support could feel overwhelming. Those challenges still affect millions of people every day. With real-time translation in 8x8 AI Studio, we're helping organizations communicate with customers in their preferred language, making support more accessible, more natural, and more human," said Ivov.
Why this matters for customer support teams
Language mismatches on support calls create real costs: longer handle times, unnecessary transfers, and abandoned interactions that damage customer retention. A tool that translates in real time across 13 languages lets a single agent serve a wider pool of callers without specialist language staffing. Combined with model choice and pre-built connectors to common business apps, the update gives support teams more control over how AI for customer support fits into existing workflows rather than forcing them to redesign processes around the technology.
Your membership also unlocks:
