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Google Duplex really works and testing begins this summer
In a restaurant in Mountain View, California yesterday, Google gave several small groups of journalists a chance to demo Duplex. If you don't recall, Duplex is the AI system designed to make human-sounding voice calls on your behalf so as to automate things like booking restaurant tables and hair appointments. In the demo, we saw what it would be like for a restaurant to receive a phone call — and in fact each of us in turn took a call from Duplex as it tried to book a reservation.
The briefings were in service of the news that Google is about to begin limited testing "in the coming weeks." If you're hoping that means you'll be able to try it yourself, sorry: Google is starting with "a set of trusted tester users," according to Nick Fox, VP of product and design for the Google Assistant. It will also be limited to businesses that Google has partnered with rather than any old restaurant.
The rollout will be phased, in other words. First up will be calls about holiday hours, then restaurant reservations will come later this summer, and then finally hair cut appointments will be last. Those are the only three domains that Google has trained Duplex on.
The demos we saw had many of the same elements that made the original demonstration at Google IO so impressive: the voice sounded much more human than normal, complete with ums and ahhs. It also featured something we didn't hear last May: each call started with an explicit statement that the call was being recorded. There were a few variations on the disclosure, but they all included some indication that you were talking to a machine and the call was being recorded. For example, one call began with "Hi, I'm calling to make a reservation. I'm Google's automated booking service, so I'll record the call. Uh, can I book a table for Sunday the first?"
Also at Ars Technica.
Previously: Google Duplex: an AI that Can Make Phone Calls on Your Behalf
(Score: 4, Insightful) by SomeGuy on Friday June 29 2018, @08:47AM (7 children)
Really, what the fuck is the point of this thing? It makes a call for you because some dickhead wasn't want to talk to a person themselves? And they expect some poor shlocks to take robocalls all day?
When some robot calls me, I just hang the fuck up. I don't talk to machines unless I'm screaming at them. Personally, I get royally pissed off even when I call some number and their automated switching shit insists that I *SAY* something rather than just pushing a button.
...actually that is probably exactly what they plan to use it for. Welcome to our new Google Robocall overlords!
"Hey, Google Robocall! You will being calling over 9000 people and being saying you are from Microsoft Tech support and their computer is having a virus".
Ring, Ring, Ring...
"Hi, I'm calling to annoy the fuck out of you. I'm Google's retarded AI shit, so I'll record the call. Uh, can you please kill me?"
(Score: 3, Touché) by takyon on Friday June 29 2018, @09:51AM (1 child)
It's for the truly antisocial. So maybe half the user/anonbase.
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(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday June 29 2018, @05:28PM
Right! I put off any chores that require making an actual phone call WAY too long!
(Score: 2) by rigrig on Friday June 29 2018, @01:49PM (1 child)
No, they expect to launch another AI for businesses that takes calls, so currently they are
1. gaining experience with call-handling AI
2. trying to get people to use their system for making those calls, since obviously it should at least be able to handle those well.
No one remembers the singer.
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Friday June 29 2018, @02:33PM
If they get computer to talk to computer on the phone it's going to be amazing times. I predict it'll be bigger than Fax!!!
(Score: 2) by archfeld on Friday June 29 2018, @06:24PM
You don't stand to make a buck on the product. As a business owner I don't care how the appointment is made just as long as it IS made. As a user I'd even find it convenient if the service would call up, navigate the proper VRU channel, wait on hold, then hand off the call to me when a person was available.
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Friday June 29 2018, @07:41PM
Are you talking about the service providers? They don't really care whether there's a human or a robot on the other end, as long as they're getting business. This allows businesses to integrate with online booking services without having to upgrade their "person on a phone taking orders".
No problem, in the future you can push a button and Duplex will say it for you. Hell, Duplex can talk to the machine entirely for you.
Robocalls (unsolicited) are regulated and basically illegal in the US (a business providing a business number is implicitly soliciting business calls). Also, did you have a point to make? All I can tell is "God, I hate robots so much. Other people shouldn't be allowed to use a robot to book appointments over the phone".
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(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday June 29 2018, @11:46PM
The whole point of this schlock is that they will train their AI and audio signal-processing methods to be indistinguishable from humans, so if you don't think it's a robot then you will bother to listen. The advantage they have in this particular application is that audio transmitted over cell lines (and landlines, for that matter) experiences a loss of fidelity.
On the rare occasion I make reservations, I'm not simply just telling them to book me. I'm also listening for background noise and other factors which may influence my decision. For example, say I call in a reservation 2-3 hours in advance, and if there is already background noise, then I can assume the place is too noisy for that first date with somebody who hates noise, even though that is the kind of food she likes.
Also, really?! People are so lazy and antisocial that they cannot book a reservation in person? We're gonna see a lot of pissed-off Gooks who hear a Gookey-sounding reservation only to see a White woman show up to the nail-appointment. And as any White woman with half a brain knows, Gooks are the best at nails but the worst at trying to disguise the fact that they are badmouthing White woman in question while she is having her nails done. This is also why I like the electronics industry, because Gook women call themselves Min Le Tran Nguyen instead of Evelyn or Rosemary Nguyen.