Google Duplex Introduces Itself as AI in New Demo Ahead of Testing
Google shares a fresh demo of its Duplex AI calling service, showing the assistant introducing itself as a machine to address ethical concerns. Initial tests begin in the coming weeks, starting with simple inquiries about business hours.
Google shares a new demo of Duplex, its AI system that makes phone calls for users, and reveals fresh details about how the service operates. The demonstration shows the assistant starting conversations by clearly introducing itself as the Google Assistant, a direct response to previous ethical concerns that the AI sounded too human and lacked transparency.
Testing of the experimental service begins in the coming weeks, starting with simple tasks like asking businesses for their store hours. Google reports that Duplex currently handles 80 percent of calls without any human intervention, utilizing DeepMind's WaveNet speech synthesizer to create a natural voice complete with informal sounds like "um" and "uhh."
The new demo also highlights the user experience, showing that the assistant asks for alternative times if a reservation fails and sends a follow-up notification 15 minutes after the call concludes. Businesses maintain control over the process and have the option to opt out of receiving AI calls entirely if they choose.