Gemini's new calling feature: cutting-edge or déjà vu?

Some netizens say they recognize one of Google Gemini’s new features from somewhere.

Google has recently introduced new capabilities and features related to its artificial intelligence tool, Gemini.

Google shares that one of its new features, which expands its Search capabilities, is “AI-powered calling to local businesses."

The new feature finds information on things like pricing and availability of services such as pet grooming or dry cleaning by making a call for you.

The feature can be found while making a simple search. In the results section, users will find “Have AI check pricing.” By clicking on it, they can submit their request.

For example, if they’re looking for a pet groomer, their request will include questions such as what type of dog they have, what services they need, when they need the services, and how they want to receive updates.

According to Google, this way, users get a range of options and businesses get an opportunity to book customers.

The experimental Search feature was already put to the test while on the hunt for Labubu, the famous plush toy. The internet seems to be obsessed with the doll, which can be hard to find due to high demand.

While the new feature might seem like a perfect tool for people who don’t like making phone calls to strangers or don’t have much time to find the best suitable choice for a certain service, some users online expressed their skepticism about it when it was rolled out for testing.

At the beginning of this year, Google released the test version of the feature, known as “Ask for Me,” which would use a realistically sounding voice to ask business questions on behalf of users.

One Reddit user was curious to know what those who had already tried the feature could say about it.

“I swear I remember reading something like this at least five years ago,” wrote one user online.

“Yeah, I think it's been a pixel feature for a while,” noted another netizen. While Pixel smartphones are equipped with AI-powered features such as filtering spam calls, taking notes, and putting calls on hold, it doesn’t seem to include a similar feature.

Nevertheless, another user remembered that back in 2018, Google Duplex worked similarly by contacting local businesses for information about services.

“I think the big concern was during the demo the AI didn’t identify itself and people didn’t like the idea of being called by an AI that could convince you it was human,” shared Redditor.

During the current feature's testing, one user wrote: “There's no way this will ever be abused. And it's definitely not going to be super annoying for anyone who will have to deal with these calls.”

Google's 'Ask for Me' Uses a Realistic AI Voice to Call Businesses for You
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Nevertheless, not all users seemed pessimistic about the feature, noting that “society will learn to adapt.”

“Cool cool cool. Now I don't just get to wait on hold because there are other callers, I am in line behind AI bots too,” wrote another user.

The company shared that the call-based feature is now available for all Search users located in the US, “with higher limits for Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers."