Google Duplex has finally arrived on some Pixel smartphones in the US. The AI-powered chat agent that can fix appointments and make reservations over the phone is now available to a small group of Pixel users in select cities across the US.
Though for now, Duplex can only be used to make restaurant reservations. To do so, users just have to ask Google assistant to make the booking. Besides, users will be asked certain questions such as the preferred time of booking, how many people you want the booking for, and the phone number under which you want the booking to be made.
Early reports about Duplex are seemingly positive, as sources indicate the system worked every time it was used to make a reservation. However, not all restaurants are equipped with support for the AI-powered voice booking system. Now, this could be due to the fact that some restaurants have not yet opted for bookings through Duplex.
“We’re currently ramping up the ability to book restaurant reservations through the Google Assistant over the phone using Duplex technology. To help deliver a good experience to Pixel users and to businesses, we’re starting with a slow rollout and will expand to more Pixel users as we continue to ramp up,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement to VentureBeat.
Besides, Google has also put some security measures to prevent Duplex from being misused. As users can only cancel a restaurant booking only once per day. In addition, users found to have cancel multiple bookings in a row will be banned from using the system.
For now, we aren’t sure when a wider rollout will begin or by when Duplex would get the ability to perform other tasks. Nonetheless, initial signs look positive as the current system seems to work as Google intended it to be.
