---
title: Multiple Transcription Models Now Available for Telnyx Voice AI Assistants
canonical: https://telnyx.com/release-notes/ai-assistants-multiple-transcription-models
---
# Multiple Transcription Models Now Available for Telnyx Voice AI Assistants

[Release notes](https://telnyx.com/release-notes)

# AI Assistants Can Now Use More Than One Transcription Model

### 9, Oct 2026

Telnyx AI Assistants can now run more than one transcription model on the same call. Two new modes, Fallback and Language Booster, keep calls going when a transcription model fails and pick the most accurate transcript for every turn.

### What's new

* **Fallback mode:** Add up to 3 backup transcription models in priority order. If the model in use fails at the start of a call or mid-call, the next one takes over and the call keeps going. Set through `transcription.fallback_models`.
* **Language booster:** A second model transcribes alongside the main one, and a rule decides which transcript the assistant uses. `best_turn` (default) picks the better transcript each turn, `best_engine` locks onto the stronger model for the call, and `merge_words` merges Arabic and English spoken in the same sentence. Set through `transcription.challenger`.

An assistant runs one mode at a time, and each backup model or booster carries its own language and provider settings.

### Why it matters

A voice agent is only as good as the transcript it reasons on. Until now you chose one transcription model for every call: if it failed, the call degraded with it, and if callers switched languages mid-sentence, accuracy dropped. With both modes on one control plane, you compose the right pair of models for each deployment instead of adding another vendor or another integration. In our internal tests, `deepgram/flux` with `deepgram/nova-3` as the booster cut English word errors from 5.7% to 4.6%, and the Basira and Cohere `merge_words` pair cut errors from 27.7% to 22.4%.

### Example use cases

* Support lines and outbound engagement: chain up to 3 fallback models so a transcription failure never ends a call.
* Contact centers serving Arabic and English callers: run `merge_words` so callers who switch between the two mid-sentence are transcribed accurately end to end.
* Accuracy tuning: use `best_engine` to let two models transcribe the first turns, then continue the call on whichever scores higher.

### Getting started

1. In the [Mission Control portal](https://portal.telnyx.com/#/ai/assistants), open AI, then Assistants, select your assistant, and go to the Voice tab. Under Transcription, add models in Additional Transcription Models.
2. Or set the modes through the API when creating or updating an assistant:

"transcription": {
  "model": "deepgram/flux",
  "language": "en",
  "fallback_models": [
    { "model": "deepgram/nova-3" },
    { "model": "soniox/stt-rt-v5" }
  ]
}

**Learn more** in the [transcription settings docs](https://developers.telnyx.com/docs/inference/ai-assistants/transcription-settings#fallback-models-and-language-booster) or on the [Voice AI Agents](https://telnyx.com/products/voice-ai-agents) page.

[Start building](https://telnyx.com/sign-up)

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