google duplex
Latest
Google Duplex begins international rollout with a New Zealand pilot
Google Duplex, the futuristic service that uses AI to place phone calls and make reservations, can already book movie tickets and will soon be able to rent a car. The service has rolled out across the US, and now international rollout is beginning with a test in New Zealand.
Google Assistant has a new look on the Pixel 4
Google has given Assistant an overhaul, giving it a fresh look for Pixel 4 and making the voice assistant more useful, with a better understanding of context for the information or actions you ask it about. At the Made by Google event, the company showcased some of what the new Assistant has in store, including a zippy flow from Maggie Rogers' Twitter account to her upcoming shows, sharing that info with a friend and looking for tickets using the Continued Conversation feature.
Google begins testing Assistant movie ticket reservations in Chrome
Google made waves last year when it introduced Duplex, its Assistant-powered tool which could place phone calls to make reservations. The futuristic feature began as a small test before rolling out to most US states, and at Google IO earlier this year, the company announced it would be expanding Duplex to provide web-based AI assistance as well. Now, that expansion has begun testing, and select Chrome users in the US can try using Duplex to help book movie tickets.
Google Assistant on Pixel 4 may handle calls while you're on hold
Google Assistant's ability to handle phone calls may extend beyond booking appointments. A 9to5Google source claims Assistant on the upcoming Pixel 4 will have the option of taking over when you're on hold, bringing you back when another human answers. You'd only have to tap a button to ignore the hold music and get things done. It's not clear if this will also skip the canned "your call is very important to us" messages, but that's certainly the dream -- you wouldn't be jolted back into the call until an actual service rep was there to help.
Many Google Duplex calls are from real people instead of AI
Google's Duplex reservations might be more widely available, but that doesn't mean the AI is ready to handle every call. The company has confirmed to the New York Times that about 25 percent of the Assistant-based calls start with a human in a call center, while 15 percent require human intervention. In the newspaper's tests, the ratio was higher -- real people completed three out of four of their successful bookings.
Recommended Reading: Google Duplex still confuses restaurants
One year later, restaurants are still confused by Google Duplex Natt Garun, The Verge Google had us in awe when it debuted the AI-powered Duplex tech at I/O 2018. The system can be used to make reservations on your behalf, and it can even make a call if one is required. A year later though, it seems restaurants are still confused by the technology. From calls that look like spam to using different voices and accents in immediate follow-ups to confirm reservations, Duplex still has its quirks. But there's also an interesting wrinkle: it can be more polite than a human.
Google's CallJoy is an AI phone operator for small businesses
Around a year ago, Google unveiled Duplex, an AI-powered feature that can call businesses and book appointments for you. Ahead of this year's I/O, Google revealed the other half of the equation, a virtual customer service agent that can automatically handle inbound calls for small businesses.
