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TwilioAmanda LangeTutorial
Sending SMS with an Agentic AI using Twilio and Hermes Agent
Summary
The author, a Twilio employee, built a personal agentic AI using Hermes Agent and connected it to Twilio SMS to enable phone-based interaction. They chose SMS over a custom Android app because it works out of the box on any phone and globally, making the agent accessible to anyone with the phone number, including non-technical users. The author wired up a toll-free 800 number and tested the setup by sending a text message from a grocery store parking lot, receiving a reply from the agent. The experiment demonstrated that agentic AI can be integrated with legacy protocols like SMS to provide realtime chat capabilities. The author also noted the importance of reading email provider terms of service if creating a new account for the agent.
Context
The author, a Twilio employee, wanted to explore agentic AI by building a personal agent that could be contacted via SMS. They chose SMS over a custom app because it works out of the box on any phone and globally, making the agent accessible to anyone with the phone number, including non-technical users.
Approach / What changed
The author built a personal AI agent using Hermes Agent and connected it to Twilio SMS so the agent could be reached from any phone. They set up a Twilio phone number, wired it to the agent, and tested the flow by sending a text message from a grocery store parking lot, receiving a reply from the agent’s toll-free number.
Takeaways
SMS works out of the box on any phone system and globally, making it a universal interface for AI agents without requiring app installation.
Twilio can be used to wire up a toll-free number to an AI agent, enabling realtime SMS chat from any phone.
When creating a new email account for an agent, carefully read the provider’s terms of service to avoid violations.
FAQ
Why use SMS instead of a custom app?
SMS works out of the box on any phone system and can be used worldwide, so anyone with the phone number, even non-technical people, can have a realtime chat with the agent without installing an app.
How did the author test the agent?
The author wired up a toll-free 800 number to the agent, and when they sent a text message from a grocery store parking lot, the agent replied via SMS, demonstrating the realtime chat capability.
Source and freshness
- Source
- twilio.com
- Published
- Added to Yomu
Summaries are generated from the original by a language model. Check the original before relying on it.
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