Tool Calling Designed for More Reliability, GPT-5-Class Reasoning, and Improved Transcription Are Available Now in Early Availability

8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT), a leading global business communications platform provider, has added support for OpenAI's latest voice AI mode, GPT Realtime 2, to 8x8 AI Studio, providing businesses running live voice agents a more dependable foundation for customer interactions. The update is available today for customers in the 8x8 AI Studio early availability. Existing agents continue running on the current model until customers explicitly opt in via the agent editor.

The most visible changes are designed to enable voice agents that handle requests more reliably, conversations that are transcribed more accurately, and a record of every interaction that is clean enough to use. GPT Realtime 2 brings GPT-5-class reasoning and a 128K context window – so AI agents can stay on track through longer, more complex conversations without losing the thread. Supervisors can review interactions with confidence, book appointments, or route calls to the right team to complete those tasks with fewer errors - fewer dropped lookups, missed transfers, and incomplete bookings – backed by a model that is materially more reliable at tool calling.

More control over how AI agents think. For teams running agents that handle multi-step requests – verifying an account, checking inventory, escalating a case – GPT Realtime 2 introduces a per-AI agent reasoning effort control. Most customer interactions work best at the standard setting; more complex, tool-heavy workflows can be dialed up when the situation calls for it, with the tradeoff of added response time – giving teams the ability to optimize for speed or thoroughness depending on the use case.

More accurate transcription, automatically. Every voice session now defaults to Realtime-Whisper in 8x8 AI Studio, OpenAI's latest transcription model. Customer service teams see cleaner records in the call log and in the live advisor interface without changing any AI agent settings. Accurate transcription means supervisors can review interactions with confidence, AI agents have the full picture when picking up a conversation, and businesses can act on what customers actually said.

No disruption to existing AI agents. Agents currently in production continue running on their existing configuration until teams choose to update them. The 8x8 AI Studio already recognizes GPT Realtime 2 and will recommend it for tool-heavy or reasoning-intensive use cases on request. When switching models in the agent editor, AI Studio now automatically substitutes a compatible voice if needed and logs the change – without interrupting workflows.

"When a voice agent conversation doesn't go as planned – it can't pull up the account, drops the transfer, loses the thread – the customer feels it immediately," said Hunter Middleton, Chief Product Officer at 8x8, Inc. "This update targets these failure modes that matter in live customer interactions."

To learn more, see the 8x8 AI Studio user guide at docs.8x8.studio or existing customers can contact their 8x8 account team.

8x8, Inc. is committed to the responsible use of artificial intelligence and the protection of customer data. The 8x8 Platform for CX is developed and operated in accordance with established security standards, applicable compliance frameworks, and internal governance policies, including privacy-by-design principles that safeguard personal data on the 8x8 platform. Full details are available at trust.8x8.com.

About 8x8, Inc.

8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT) connects people and organizations through seamless communication on one of the industry's most integrated platforms for Customer Experience – combining Contact Center, Unified Communications, and CPaaS solutions. The 8x8® Platform for CX integrates AI to enable personalized customer journeys, drive operational excellence and insights, and facilitate team collaboration. As a business communications leader, the company helps customer experience and IT leaders around the world become the heartbeat of their organizations, empowering them to unlock the potential of every interaction. For additional information, visit www.8x8.com, or follow 8x8 on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expected capabilities and availability of 8x8 AI Studio with GPT Realtime 2, anticipated improvements in voice agent reliability and transcription accuracy, the expected benefits of GPT-5-class reasoning for customer interactions, and 8x8's plans to recommend GPT Realtime 2 for tool-heavy and reasoning-intensive use cases. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please refer to 8x8's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. 8x8 assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

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8x8 AI Studio Adds OpenAI's GPT Realtime 2 to Support Production Voice Agents