Latest news with #Duplex
Tom's Guide
21-07-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Google's new AI called toy stores for me — and actually found a Labubu
Google's Gemini AI just got a major upgrade and it's no longer just helping you search. It's picking up the phone and doing the work for you. A new experimental feature, currently rolling out through Google's AI Mode in Search Labs, allows Gemini to call local businesses on your behalf. Using its Duplex technology, the same AI voice that once made restaurant reservations, Gemini can now check prices, confirm inventory, ask about hours and deliver back a clean summary. All you have to do is tap a button and wait for the follow-up. And yes, it actually works. I tested it in a real-life, highly specific scenario: tracking down a Labubu toy for my eight-year-old daughter. Here's what happened and why I think this marks a major shift in how AI will help us get things done. When you search for something like 'pet stores near me' or '24-hour pharmacies near me,' you might see a new prompt underneath certain business listings: 'Have AI check availability' or 'Have AI check pricing.' Tap it, and Gemini will walk you through a short form asking what you're looking for, when you need it and how far you're willing to travel. From there, Gemini uses Duplex to place the call. The AI introduces itself clearly (no pretending to be a real human here) and asks your question directly. You don't need to listen in; once the call is done, Gemini sends a text or email summary with the business's response, including details like product availability, price and store hours. The biggest thing for me was not repeating myself over and over as I called every store. The AI did it for me. This is one of several agent-style features Google is rolling into Search Labs. Others include Deep Search for research, shopping tools that summarize specs across multiple listings, and Gemini 2.5 Pro, a more powerful AI model built for longform reasoning. But the ability to make real-world phone calls is easily the most hands-on feature to date. Let's back up: my daughter has been obsessed with Labubu. For those unfamiliar, this is an overpriced wide-eyed vinyl figure from Pop Mart that's part gremlin, part woodland sprite. The popularity rivals that of Beanie Babies back in the day. These things are oddly hard to find in stores unless you know where to look. And no, you can't just buy one easily on Amazon (trust me, I looked there first). My daughter has been begging me for one for ever and saved her money to pay for half. So, I was determined to track it down. After striking out with a few stores on my own, I spotted the 'Have AI check availability' button under a store listing on Google. I tapped it. Gemini asked a few quick questions about the toy and how far I'd be willing to drive. I was not going to drive into NYC for it, but I said I would pay for shipping. Then I forgot about it until about 40 minutes later, when I got a message. Gemini had called the store, asked about Labubu, confirmed they had some in stock, and included pricing and store hours. I was blown away by how painless this was, especially compared to the chaos of past popular toys. Cabbage Patches, Tickle Me Emo and more would have been so much easier to handle with this feature. There's something quietly brilliant about the way this works. Unlike voice assistants that stop at suggestions, Gemini actually acts on your behalf and does so in a way that feels human, helpful and hands-off. It's not just passively surfacing information, it's solving the problem for you. It's kind of wild. For parents, introverts or just busy people who don't want to spend their afternoon calling five different stores, this is the AI tool we didn't know we needed. The feature is currently available to all U.S. users, with higher usage limits for AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers. Business owners can also opt out if they'd rather not receive AI-driven calls. It's also part of a broader trend we're seeing with agentic AI, tools that actually complete tasks. ChatGPT is doing it with its new agent feature, Perplexity has copilots, and now Google is bringing that capability into the real world through Search. Google's new AI features might seem like small upgrades, until they solve a real problem for you. In my case, that problem was tracking down a popular toy for my daughter, and Gemini nailed it. The toy is being shipped out, so I'll update this story with "Big Into Energy" Labubu when it arrives. We're entering a new era where AI is proactive. And if it means I never have to waste time on hold again, I'm definitely here for it.
India Today
17-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
Google's AI can now call local businesses on your behalf to check availability, pricing, and other details
Google is bringing back a familiar idea with a new twist, and this time, it's ready for the public. The tech giant has announced a new feature that lets its AI call local businesses for you through Google Search, gathering information like pricing and availability so you don't have to pick up the phone yourself. First tested in January this year, this feature is now rolling out to all users in the US, with broader access for those who subscribe to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra plans. It works with specific types of businesses for now, such as pet groomers, dry cleaners, and auto you search for one of these services, for example, 'pet groomers near me', you will see a new option: 'Have AI check pricing.' After selecting this, Google will ask for extra details like your pet's breed, the service you want, preferred timing, and how you'd like to get updates (either via email or text). Once that's done, the AI will make the call for you and send back the information it is not the first time Google has tried something like this. Back in 2018, at its I/O developer conference, CEO Sundar Pichai had famously demoed Google Duplex – an AI assistant that could make phone calls to book appointments. The demo got mixed reactions, with some people expressing concern that the voice sounded too human and lacked clear disclosure. Google had to put a pause on its plans to rollout the feature. Robby Stein, Google Search's vice president of product, explained to The Verge that the new feature uses a combination of Google's Duplex model and its newer Gemini AI system. 'Gemini, with Duplex tech, will be able to make calls on your behalf,' Stein said, adding that the AI will introduce itself clearly to the business as a Google bot, calling on behalf of a time, the AI introduces itself clearly and sticks to gathering basic service details. Business owners can also opt out of receiving such AI calls in their Google Business Profile this AI calling feature, Google is also testing more advanced capabilities under its Gemini AI programme. This includes Gemini 2.5 Pro, which is now available to users who have opted into 'AI Mode'. This version is built for more complex tasks like coding, maths, and deep research. It also powers 'Deep Search,' a new tool that can dig up in-depth reports by reasoning through multiple queries these advanced features are limited to subscribers, the AI calling tool is free to use but only available in the US. There is currently no information on if and when it will launch in India. However, with the AI Mode's launch in India recently, we can expect the AI Calling tool to make it to India soon too. Google says this is just one of many new 'agentic' features it's working on to make Search more helpful in day-to-day tasks.- Ends
Hans India
17-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Google's AI Now Makes Calls and Checks Prices for You
Google is taking another big step in putting artificial intelligence to work for everyday tasks. The tech giant has now made its AI-powered calling feature available to everyone in the US through Search. With this new option, you can ask Google's AI to call local businesses — like pet groomers, auto shops, or dry cleaners — to check prices or availability, so you don't have to pick up the phone yourself. The feature first began testing in January and is aimed at simplifying small but often time-consuming tasks. Now, when you search for certain services on Google, you'll see a 'have AI check pricing' option under the business listing. Once selected, Google's AI will ask you a few details, like your pet's breed or the service you need, your preferred time, and whether you'd like updates by email or text. According to Robby Stein, vice president of product for Google Search, the AI uses Google's Duplex technology combined with Gemini to handle the calls. 'Gemini, with Duplex tech, will be able to make calls on your behalf,' Stein told The Verge. 'The calling tool will announce itself as an AI from Google trying to get information on behalf of a customer and get your info and details conveyed so that you don't have to spend all of this time doing this.' Once the AI gets what it needs, it will send you a text update about prices or available slots. This tool could be especially useful for younger people who, as studies show, often dislike making phone calls. Business owners who prefer not to receive AI calls can easily opt out in their Google profile settings. To manage usage, Google's AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers get 'higher limits' for how often they can use the feature. Alongside this wider rollout, Google is also experimenting with its more advanced Gemini 2.5 Pro model in AI Mode — an AI-powered search tool that launched across the US in May. Users with AI Pro and AI Ultra subscriptions who've joined the AI Mode test in Google Labs can switch to Gemini 2.5 Pro, which Stein says excels at 'advanced reasoning, math, and code.' Google is also testing Deep Search within AI Mode, which can build detailed reports about a query by reasoning, asking additional questions, and double-checking its results through multi-step searches. This deeper layer of AI search is another sign of how Google is expanding its AI ecosystem to save users time and effort in daily tasks.
Phone Arena
17-07-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Google's "Ask for Me" is ready to call some stores for you to get prices and availability
If you hate calling businesses to make an appointment, you can let AI do it for you. "Ask for Me" is a pretty cool feature, and it is now available in the United States through Google Search. The feature will allow AI to make calls to certain types of retailers, such as auto shops, dry cleaners, and pet groomers. AI will try to find out pricing and availability information for you. To use this feature, go to Search and ask for something like, "Pet groomers near me." A new option will surface in the results that says, "Have AI check pricing" underneath a business listing. Tapping on the button will result in AI asking you for more information about your pet, the kind of services you need, and whether you prefer to receive updates by email or text. Robby Stein, vice president of products for Google Search, says that Google's Duplex model will work with Gemini to make calls. You might recall how Google's Duplex stunned the crowd at Google I/O in 2018 with a video showing how it made dining reservations and other appointments. Stein says, "Gemini, with Duplex tech, will be able to make calls on your behalf. The calling tool will call the business, in this case the groomer, and "announce itself as an AI from Google." After the AI gets the information it needs from the phone call, it will provide an update over text about available times and prices. For the consumer, this saves time by having Gemini make the calls and write down the answers. Businesses save time by having AI book customers for them. Gemini 2.5 Pro can now be used in AI Mode. |=Image credit-PhoneArena You do have to enable the feature on Google Search Labs. Open the Google app and tap on the icon of a beaker in the upper left of the screen. Scroll down to "Ask for Me" and join the waitlist. It is available on Android and iOS. Ask for Me allows you to make certain phone appointments using AI. | Image credit-PhoneArena Business owners can decide to opt out of receiving AI calls if they don't feel comfortable with them. The feature is now available, although Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers will get greater opportunities to use it. Ask for Me uses Gemini, Duplex, and Google Search to make appointments for you. | Image credit-PhoneArena Google is also bringing Gemini 2.5 Pro to AI Mode. This will give you access to Google's most intelligent AI Model right from Search. Gemini 2.5 Pro uses advanced reasoning and is outstanding in providing you with answers to math and coding questions. It will even provide the user with links to help them learn more via a Deep Search. A drop-down menu in the AI Mode tab in Search will help subscribers access Gemini 2.5 Pro. The default model in AI Mode, a custom Gemini 2.0 series model, will still provide fast, all-around assistance for most questions. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Engadget
22-05-2025
- Engadget
Google's most powerful AI tools aren't for us
At I/O 2025, nothing Google showed off felt new. Instead, we got a retread of the company's familiar obsession with its own AI prowess. For the better part of two hours, Google spent playing up products like AI Mode , generative AI apps like Jules and Flow , and a bewildering new $250 per month AI Ultra plan . During Tuesday's keynote, I thought a lot about my first visit to Mountain View in 2018. I/O 2018 was different. Between Digital Wellbeing for Android, an entirely redesigned Maps app and even Duplex , Google felt like a company that had its pulse on what people wanted from technology. In fact, later that same year, my co-worker Cherlynn Low penned a story titled How Google won software in 2018 . "Companies don't often make features that are truly helpful, but in 2018, Google proved its software can change your life," she wrote at the time, referencing the Pixel 3's Call Screening and "magical" Night Sight features. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. What announcement from Google I/O 2025 comes even close to Night Sight, Google Photos, or, if you're being more generous to the company, Call Screening or Duplex? The only one that comes to my mind is the fact that Google is bringing live language translation to Google Meet. That's a feature that many will find useful, and Google spent all of approximately a minute talking about it. I'm sure there are people who are excited to use Jules to vibe code or Veo 3 to generate video clips, but are either of those products truly transformational? Some "AI filmmakers" may argue otherwise, but when's the last time you thought your life would be dramatically better if you could only get a computer to make you a silly, 30-second clip. By contrast, consider the impact Night Sight has had. With one feature, Google revolutionized phones by showing that software, with the help of AI , could overcome the physical limits of minuscule camera hardware. More importantly, Night Sight was a response to a real problem people had in the real world. It spurred companies like Samsung and Apple to catch up, and now any smartphone worth buying has serious low light capabilities. Night Sight changed the industry, for the better. The fact you have to pay $250 per month to use Veo 3 and Google's other frontier models as much as you want should tell everything you need to know about who the company thinks these tools are for: they're not for you and I. I/O is primarily an event for developers, but the past several I/O conferences have felt like Google flexing its AI muscles rather than using those muscles to do something useful. In the past, the company had a knack for contextualizing what it was showing off in a way that would resonate with the broader public. By 2018, machine learning was already at the forefront of nearly everything Google was doing, and, more so than any other big tech company at the time, Google was on the bleeding edge of that revolution. And yet the difference between now and then was that in 2018 it felt like much of Google's AI might was directed in the service of tools and features that would actually be useful to people. Since then, for Google, AI has gone from a means to an end to an end in and of itself, and we're all the worse for it. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Even less dubious features like AI Mode offer questionable usefulness. Google debuted the chatbot earlier this year , and has since then has been making it available to more and more people. The problem with AI Mode is that it's designed to solve a problem of the company's own making. We all know the quality of Google Search results has declined dramatically over the last few years. Rather than fixing what's broken and making its system harder to game by SEO farms, Google tells us AI Mode represents the future of its search engine. The thing is, a chat bot is not a replacement for a proper search engine. I frequently use ChatGPT Search to research things I'm interested in. However, as great as it is to get a detailed and articulate response to a question, ChatGPT can and will often get things wrong. We're all familiar with the errors AI Overviews produced when Google first started rolling out the feature. AI Overviews might not be in the news anymore, but they're still prone to producing embarrassing mistakes. Just take a look at the screenshot my co-worker Kris Holt sent to me recently. I don't think it's an accident I/O 2025 ended with a showcase of Android XR , a platform that sees the company revisiting a failed concept. Let's also not forget that Android, an operating system billions of people interact with every day, was relegated to a pre-taped livestream the week before. Right now, Google feels like it's a company eager to repeat the mistakes of Google Glass . Rather than trying to meet people where they need it, Google is creating products few are actually asking for. I don't know about you, but that doesn't make me excited for the company's future.
