Google Gemini Can Now Make Phone Calls to Businesses for You
Google has introduced a new Gemini feature that allows the AI assistant to make phone calls, navigate menus, and speak with business representatives on behalf of users.
Google has announced a new feature for its Gemini artificial intelligence model that allows the assistant to make phone calls to businesses and customer service centers on behalf of the user. This tool is designed to eliminate the tedious experience of waiting on hold, navigating automated phone trees, and speaking with representatives.
How the AI Calling Assistant Works
Instead of dialing a business yourself, you can simply instruct Gemini to make the call and state your objective, such as booking a restaurant reservation. According to Google, Gemini will execute the call, navigate through interactive voice response menus, wait on hold, and converse with human representatives until the task is completed.
Users can monitor the entire interaction in real-time through a live transcript displayed on their screen, showing both Gemini's statements and the representative's responses. If necessary, the user can take over the call at any moment. Google emphasizes that the assistant will explicitly state to the representative that it is calling on behalf of a human user.
Google notes that Gemini will introduce itself and state that it is calling on your behalf, and given the sensitive nature of the feature, the company is initially rolling it out as an experimental preview.
Availability and Market Context
In the initial phase, this calling capability will be limited to users of the Pixel 11 in the United States who are subscribed to the public beta program for Gemini. This indicates a cautious, highly phased rollout by Google.
While this development recalls Google Duplex, which debuted in 2018, competitors are also entering the space. Meta is currently working on a similar feature for its Muse AI agent. Meanwhile, local Israeli developments like Speedy offer parallel services by calling customer service centers and connecting the user only when a representative answers.
