8x8 AI Studio, now in early availability, lets any team build and deploy next-gen AI agents on the 8x8 Platform for CX through natural language conversation
8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT), a leading global business communications platform provider, introduces 8x8 AI Studio, a native AI development environment that lets any team build, test, and deploy AI agents directly on the 8x8 Platform for CX using natural language instructions. 8x8 AI Studio is now in early availability for 8x8 customers.
Most organizations trying to deploy AI run into the same set of obstacles: specialist developer requirements, expensive professional services, long implementation projects, and tools that sit outside the platforms they already operate. The result is a persistent gap between AI ambition and AI execution. 8x8 AI Studio is built to close it.
Nearly three in four CX leaders prefer to build their own AI agents rather than buy off-the-shelf solutions, according to the Metrigy Customer Experience Optimization 2025-26 report, citing trust and domain expertise as the primary reasons. 8x8 AI Studio is designed for exactly that preference. Because it is native to the 8x8 platform, customers build on infrastructure they already trust, with voice channels, digital routing, interaction data, and telephony pre-integrated from day one. No new vendor. No new contract. No additional infrastructure layer to stand up or configure before the first agent goes live.
"Many companies — especially mid-sized ones — have held back deploying AI agents because of the cost of specialized developers and months of integration work. 8x8 built AI Studio natively on infrastructure its customers already operate so no intricate integration is required," said Sheila McGee-Smith, President & Principal Analyst at McGee-Smith Analytics. "A business user can describe what they want an agent to do in natural language, and the native Builder creates it, including the ability to take real action such as scheduling appointments or filing tickets. This combination of accessibility for non-technical teams and the flexibility to expand into agentic workflows on a single platform is what will allow companies to transform AI from a concept to repeatable outcomes."
AI that ships with the infrastructure
Unlike legacy conversational AI solutions, 8x8 AI Studio comes with a Builder that lets any user describe what they need in plain language and get from concept to a live AI agent across voice and digital channels in minutes rather than months, without professional services or specialist developers.
Dozens of customers across more than 15 verticals are already running hundreds of agents in early availability, putting agents into production across inbound routing, outbound follow-up, sales qualification, scheduling, internal helpdesk triage, and individual employee productivity workflows.
"8x8 AI Studio is not an AI layer sitting on top of a communications platform, it's AI embedded in the infrastructure itself," said Hunter Middleton, Chief Product Officer at 8x8, Inc. "The LLM has direct access to real-time voice data, network telemetry, and the full interaction context that external tools typically cannot access. That direct access also eliminates the transcription intermediaries responsible for the latency and drop-offs that destroy the natural conversation experience on older architectures. That is what separates AI that demos well from AI that holds up at production scale."
What teams are building
Organizations in early availability are deploying 8x8 AI Studio agents across a range of operational use cases:
- Always-on inbound coverage. AI agents handle intake, identity verification, call routing, and multi-location reception around the clock – with business-hours awareness built in.
- Proactive outbound engagement. Outbound agents confirm appointments, follow up on open service requests, and collect structured data from customers without adding headcount.
- Sales qualification and CRM handoff. AI agents capture inbound leads, run qualification workflows, and hand off to CRM with live Salesforce integration, enabling sales teams to pick up conversations that are already qualified.
- Internal support resolution. Helpdesk agents triage employee requests, create tickets in connected systems, and resolve common issues before they reach a support team.
- Employee productivity. Any 8x8 user can configure a personal AI agent through the AI Studio Builder to handle calls, screen requests, and manage after-hours interactions, without IT involvement.
Availability
During this early availability stage for 8x8 customers, 8x8 AI Studio comes with no extra licensing requirements to access and includes a free tier for building and testing agents. Consumption fees apply once agents are in production. For more information, visit the 8x8 website or connect with your Account Manager or Customer Success Manager.
Attending Channel Partners Expo? Stop by the 8x8 exhibit in the Venetian's Veronese Ballroom – Section 2406 to get a live demo.
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, including statements regarding the capabilities, features, and expected benefits of 8x8 AI Studio; the anticipated availability, pricing, and adoption of 8x8 AI Studio; customer use cases and deployment outcomes; and the expected advantages of native AI integration on the 8x8 Platform for CX. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Readers are directed to 8x8's periodic and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a description of such risks and uncertainties. 8x8 undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Copyright 2026 8x8, Inc. 8x8 and associated brand assets are trademarks of 8x8, Inc. All rights reserved.
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