In the world of technology, we all know that the line between human and artificial is blurring really fast.
At Google IO 2018, that line pretty much didn't exist for a short time, as Google CEO Sundar Pichai demonstrated Google Assistant AI placing a scarily realistic phone call and having a 'real' conversation with a human being who had no idea they were actually speaking with an AI voice.
Sundar Pichai showed off realistic Google Assistant Voice AI // Reuters
Google Assistant is known to all of us who use an Android phone. It's a smart AI tool that helps you automate most of your phone-related tasks. But on stage at Google IO 2018, the company's biggest annual event focused towards developers and showing off Google's big ideas, CEO Sundar Pichai literally blew everyone's mind away with this next piece.
?"We¡¯ve been working on this technology for many years," said Pichai, on stage. "It¡¯s called Google Duplex." Just what exactly is the Google CEO referring to? It's the ability of Google Assistant (powered by cutting edge AI) to have a realistic conversation with an actual human.
The conversation took place between Google Assistant (on the left) and a real-world hair salon attendant (on the right), as Sundar Pichai tried to ask Google Assistant about hair salons. This prompted Google Assistant to place this call in the background and actually book an appointment, based on Pichai's chosen time and date. Pretty mindblowing, right?
"The amazing thing is that [Google] Assistant can actually understand the nuances of conversation," Pichai said, before reiterating?that this was a real call using Assistant and not some staged demo.
google duplex
Google Duplex seems like a whole new level in AI's evolution, and according to CEO Sundar Pichai Google plans to test Duplex inside Assistant later this summer "to help users make restaurant reservations, schedule hair salon appointments, and get holiday hours over the phone."
Are you scared or excited about the potential of Google Duplex?