PyAI AMD vs Twilio Answering Machine Detection
Twilio AMD answers one question, person or machine, waits 2.5 to 4 seconds to guess, gives you a single label with no reason, and ships one setting for everyone. PyAI AMD decides in under 300 ms for a human and under 800 ms for a machine (in-region), returns ten outcome classes including the new iPhone and Google AI screening assistants, never hangs up on a live person, and attaches the reason to every decision. Migration is one line of TwiML.
The phone tree changed. Twilio AMD didn't.
Answering-machine detection was built for a 2015 question: person, or machine? Now an unknown call to an iPhone or a Pixel is often answered by an on-device AI that screens it before the person picks up. Legacy AMD calls that a human. Your agent launches the pitch, Apple and Google transcribe it, and your numbers get flagged as spam. That is the cost nobody is pricing in, and it is the row to read first below.
| PyAI AMD | Twilio AMD | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone / Google AI screeningThe shift | Detected as screening | Called human or unknown |
| Outcome classes | 10 (voicemail, IVR, receptionist, dead number, fax, and more) | 3 (human / machine / unknown) |
| Reason for the decision | Yes, the words it heard | No |
| Dead / disconnected number | Flagged (sit_invalid) | Folded into unknown |
| Operating point | Tunable dial, human-safe default | One fixed setting |
| Speed vs the answer | Decides in <300 ms for a human, <800 ms for a machine (in-region) | 2.5 to 4 second dwell (documented) |
| Migration | One line of TwiML | n/a |
Twilio’s 2.5 to 4 second dwell is its documented MachineDetection behavior. PyAI decides a human in under 300 ms and a machine in under 800 ms (in-region measurement, not an SLA), well inside that dwell.
When to switch, and when Twilio AMD is fine
Switch to PyAI AMD when
Switch- You are seeing calls answered by an AI that asks who's calling before a person picks up
- You have had caller-ID numbers flagged as spam
- You run live agents and cannot afford to drop a real prospect
- You want to see why a call was classified the way it was
Twilio AMD is fine when
Stay- You only need person versus machine
- You are already deep in the Twilio stack
- You have not yet seen calls answered by AI screeners
Move off Twilio AMD in one line
Already on Twilio? Point one line of TwiML at PyAI and keep your carrier and your code. Theanswered_by_twiliofield speaks Twilio’s exact vocabulary, so your routing logic does not change.
<Connect>
<Stream url="wss://api.pyai.com/v1/amd/stream">
<Parameter name="api_key" value="YOUR_PYAI_KEY"/>
<Parameter name="aggressiveness" value="0.25"/>
</Stream>
</Connect>Pricing is simple and public: 5,000 answered calls free every month, then $0.004 per answered call, and free when the call already runs on PyAI telephony. You only pay when a call is actually answered.
FAQ
What is the difference between PyAI AMD and Twilio AMD?
Twilio AMD answers one question, person or machine, waits 2.5 to 4 seconds to guess, gives you a single label with no reason, and ships one setting for everyone. PyAI AMD decides in under 300 ms for a human and under 800 ms for a machine (in-region), returns ten outcome classes including the new iPhone and Google AI screening assistants, never hangs up on a live person by default, and attaches the reason to every decision.
How hard is it to switch from Twilio AMD?
One line of TwiML. Point the call's media at wss://api.pyai.com/v1/amd/stream and keep your carrier and your code. PyAI AMD speaks Twilio's Media Streams protocol natively, and the answered_by_twilio field maps to Twilio's exact AnsweredBy enum, so your routing logic does not change.
Why does call screening matter for a dialer?
iPhone Call Screening and Google Call Screen answer unknown calls with an on-device AI before the person picks up. Legacy AMD, Twilio included, calls that a human, so your agent pitches into the transcript and your numbers get flagged as spam. That reputation hit is a far bigger cost than a wasted agent-second.
How much does PyAI AMD cost versus Twilio AMD?
PyAI AMD is billed per answered call: the first 5,000 answered calls each month are free, then $0.004 per answered call, and it is included at no charge when the call already runs on PyAI telephony. Twilio AMD is a per-call charge plus the extra call seconds it spends dwelling. Verify current published pricing before procurement.
Know who answered. Even when it's an AI.
Point a call at PyAI AMD and get the answer, and the reason, in five minutes. No card.
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