Google Retools Duplex AI to Address Ethical Concerns
Google showcases an updated version of Duplex, its human-sounding AI that makes phone calls on behalf of users. The revised system now clearly identifies itself as an artificial agent to address privacy and ethical backlash.
Google introduces an updated version of Duplex, an artificial intelligence system that sounds remarkably like a human. This AI tool operates within the Google Assistant app to make phone calls for users, initially focusing on checking holiday hours for businesses before expanding to booking restaurant and salon appointments later in the summer.
The tech giant retools the system after the initial May demonstration sparks significant ethical backlash. Critics express concern over the AI's use of human-like verbal fillers such as "um" and "ah," as well as its failure to identify itself as a machine during the original onstage presentation.
To address these privacy concerns, Google now programs Duplex to explicitly state that it is an automated AI service and that it records the phone call. Reporters recently test the revised system at a restaurant in Mountain View, California, confirming that the AI clearly discloses its artificial nature before proceeding with the conversation.