№ CO–02
Barge-in
Interrupt the AI mid-stream — with voice, a tap, or an escape key — without losing the session.
- Class
- Control
- Status
- emerging
- Named by
- this library
Borrowed from telephony, where “barge-in” meant talking over the IVR menu. The AI version spans voice (interrupt speech), generation (stop the stream), and agents (grab the wheel mid-task). The design question is what survives the interruption: a good barge-in preserves state and treats the interruption as steering input.
Why it works. Interruptibility is the cheapest trust signal there is — users delegate more when they know they can take over in one gesture.
Steal: treat the interruption content as the next instruction, not as a reset. Skip: confirmation dialogs on stop actions — a brake pedal must not ask “are you sure?”