Google’s conversational Duplex AI has finally arrived. At least for some people, if not all. The artificially intelligent chatbot can nowfix your appointmentsover the phone.
Previously available to a “set of trusted tester users,” Duplex has now expanded to a “small group” of Pixel phone users. They can now use Google Duplex tomake restaurant reservationsin “select cities.”
This news was confirmed by a Google spokesperson who told VentureBeat that the company is starting with a “slow rollout” to ensure a smooth experience for allPixel owners and businesses.
The few chosen cities where Duplex is currently working are presumably the cities ofAtlanta,New York City, Phoenix,andSan Francisco.
However, for those who aren’t part of the “trusted tester” group will most likely get anerrorsaying, “Sorry, I can’t call to make reservations for you yet, but here’s their phone number: [10 digits].”
As far as Duplex’s currentfunctionalitiesare considered, they are actuallyquite limited. The call-in reservation feature is only useful for restaurants at the moment, and it also requires a bit of effort to ensure that you get the exact time and seats you want.
According to VB, some restaurants aren’t simply willing to take reservations through Duplex, even if it is made public. So in that case, users may still have to talk to a human.
Nevertheless, it’s a start which creates the possibility of Google Duplex working in the real-world. However, Duplex still needs to evolve until it can work reliably for a variety of services and across multiple cities and devices.
