Google Duplex: an AI system that can make phone calls for you

One of the highlights of Google I/O 2018 is the introduction of an AI system called Google Duplex that can conduct natural conversations to the point that it can make phone calls and accomplish tasks for you.

Google boasts that Google Duplex can conduct natural conversations to carry out “real world” tasks over the phone. It won’t carry out elaborate conversations for you but it can handle specific tasks like scheduling certain types of appointments.

For such tasks, the system makes the conversational experience as natural as possible, allowing people to speak normally, like they would to another person, without having to adapt to a machine. These conversations sound natural thanks to advances in understanding, interacting, timing, and speaking.

For users, Google Duplex is making supported tasks easier. Instead of making a phone call, the user simply interacts with the Google Assistant, and the call happens completely in the background without any user involvement.

Google demonstrated its conversational capabilities, and with the help of Google Assistant, was able to call a restaurant to make a reservation, call a business to inquire about holiday hours, or schedule an appointment with a salon.

Listen to the examples below:

Google will start testing the Duplex technology within the Google Assistant this summer.