Google Duplex: AI that can make phone bookings for you debuts at I/O conference
System enables Google Assistant to conduct lifelike conversations with humans

Google has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) system that brings humanity one step closer to having lifelike conversations with robots.
In a demo last night at the company’s annual I/O tech conference, in Mountain View, California, the new Duplex AI system enables Google’s virtual Assistant to successfully call up a hair salon and book an appointment, in a human-like interaction.
A video posted on Twitter by Android Central’s Daniel Bader features the AI asking the hairdresser to schedule an appointment between 10am and 12pm.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When asked which styling service is required, the AI responds: “Just a woman’s haircut.”
The demonstration shows that the AI can “flawlessly” replicate human speech, convincing the “unsuspecting” hairdresser that she was talking to a real person, says Engadget.
To make the system’s speech sound more human, Google has programmed the AI to add in lifelike conversation fillers such as “ums” and “ahhs”, the tech news site adds.
The development “marks the next big step in natural-sounding” and “fully autonomous” interactions between humans and AI, says Wired.
However, the system could be misused, argues the magazine, noting that it is “easy to imagine someone trying to program the assistant to spam-call a business, for example”.
In a bid to address such concerns, Google says it will “be transparent about where and when Duplex is being used”, although the company did not specify how this information would be shared, The Verge reports.
While the Duplex AI “sounds as though the future of voice assistants has arrived”, says CNet, the technology is still in an early phase of development.
Google plans to trial the system with a small group of users this summer, the site adds.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic Party
Talking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'
Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers
-
The god in the machine
Feature An AI model with superhuman intelligence could soon become reality. Should we be worried?
-
AI chatbots are leading some to psychosis
The explainer The technology may be fueling delusions
-
Unreal: A quantum leap in AI video
Feature Google's new Veo 3 is making it harder to distinguish between real videos and AI-generated ones
-
Will 2027 be the year of the AI apocalypse?
A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon A 'scary and vivid' new forecast predicts that artificial superintelligence is on the horizon
-
College grads are seeking their first jobs. Is AI in the way?
In The Spotlight Unemployment is rising for young professionals
-
Disney, Universal sue AI firm over 'plagiarism'
Speed Read The studios say that Midjourney copied characters from their most famous franchises
-
Learning loss: AI cheating upends education
Feature Teachers are questioning the future of education as students turn to AI for help with their assignments
-
AI: Will it soon take your job?
Feature AI developers warn that artificial intelligence could eliminate half of all entry-level jobs within five years