Guardrails & Safety
Why Guardrails Matter
- AI agents can sometimes say things you don’t want them to
- In regulated industries (healthcare, finance), mistakes have real consequences
- Guardrails prevent the agent from going off-script or providing harmful information
Types of Guardrails
Prompt-Level
- Add explicit rules in your prompt: “Never provide medical advice”, “Do not discuss pricing”
- Include fallback responses: “If you’re unsure, say ‘Let me transfer you to a specialist’”
Platform-Level
- Retell provides built-in guardrail features
- Configure prohibited topics
- Set response length limits
- Enable content filtering
Compliance-Specific
- HIPAA: never store or repeat PHI unless authorized
- PCI DSS: handle credit card numbers securely
- FDCPA: follow debt collection communication rules
- TCPA: respect do-not-call lists and consent requirements
Testing Guardrails
- Use simulation testing to throw edge cases at your agent
- Try to “jailbreak” your own agent — if you can, callers can too
- Monitor call transcripts for guardrail violations
- Set up alerts for flagged conversations