Twilio’s A2H is a new protocol that helps agents talk to humans

The New Stack

by Frederic Lardinois

February 19, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

Twilio has introduced a new protocol, Agent-to-Human (A2H), designed to bridge the gap between AI agents and human interaction. While existing frameworks focus on agent-to-agent or agent-to-system communication, A2H aims to simplify how agents transition tasks to humans, ensuring seamless handoffs across channels like SMS, WhatsApp, or voice calls. By abstracting the complexities of communication, A2H allows developers to focus on task requirements rather than integration details. This protocol also maintains an audit trail of interactions, enhancing accountability and trust. The need for human judgment in critical decision-making processes is central to A2H’s design. As AI agents become more autonomous, there remains a reliance on human oversight for tasks like authorization or escalation. Twilio leverages its expertise in connecting businesses with consumers to create a gateway that handles the messaging and security aspects of these handoffs. This ensures that developers are relieved from managing channel-specific integrations while maintaining a secure and reliable interaction record. The protocol supports five core intents: inform, collect, authorize, escalate, and result. These functions align with common use cases in DevOps and cloud computing, such as notifications, data collection, transaction approval, task handoffs, and status updates. By standardizing these interactions, A2H aims to reduce errors and improve efficiency in systems that rely on human-AI collaboration. For developers and DevOps professionals, A2H addresses a critical challenge: ensuring smooth communication between AI agents and humans without compromising reliability or security. By abstracting the complexity of channel management and maintaining an audit trail, it streamlines workflows and reduces liability for missed escalations. As AI adoption grows in DevOps environments, tools like A2H will play a pivotal role in balancing automation with human oversight, ultimately enhancing trust and efficiency. In an era where AI is increasingly integrated into operational processes, the ability to seamlessly hand off tasks to humans while maintaining control and accountability becomes essential. Twilio’s A2H protocol not only fills a gap in existing agent frameworks but also underscores the importance of human judgment

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Originally published on The New Stack on 2/19/2026