Google tests in the United States an AI function that makes phone calls instead of users, for programming and information requests. The solution raises question marks on the future of human interaction.
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“Gemini, together with Duplex technology, will be able to make calls on your behalf (…) The tool will be presented as one from Google who is trying to obtain information on behalf of a customer and will send your request without you to waste time with this process.”explained Robby Stein, Vice President for the product at Google Search, for The Verge.
Technology also exists in Romania
Although in Romania we do not yet have a native Google Duplex type integration in Search, there are architectural functional implementations. Solutions such as Smart Voice RO or STVN use NLP models adapted to the Romanian language, combined with advanced IVR systems and API integration into companies backgrounds, to completely automate telephone interactions. The major difference is that these solutions are offered as B2B services and are not Embedded directly in a search engine, as Google does. However, the basic functionality, ie outsourcing the human call to a voice agent, is already present on the local market.
The new functionality based on Google’s artificial intelligence promises to ease the lives of many people, but at the same time risks deepening the distance between us, draws the attention Marius Gheorghe, IT specialist. “We will communicate less and less between us and become, gradually, increasingly isolated in our own worlds. Like any technological progress, this evolution brings both advantages and risks. The programming will become faster and more efficient, but the implementation of clear control mechanisms, to prevent abuse, such as fictitious programming generated automatically, without a real need,” declares, for the truth, Marius Gheorghe.
One you have useful but with real social risks
The right to refuse interactions with AI should be guaranteed, but in reality, the lack of adaptation to new technologies can mean losing relevance on the market as the cases of Nokia or Blackberry have demonstrated, as the IT specialist draws.
In his opinion, there is an increasingly accentuated robotization and, “Unfortunately, a possible superficialization of thinking”. The risk, it signals, is for users to accept any information provided by the virtual assistant, without a critical analysis, which can lead to excessive addiction and loss of personal discernment.
“From an ethical and social point of view, we are approaching a critical point: traditional communication risks an exception. We already see how, in social contexts such as friends, physical presence is often replaced by the attention to the screens. When the AI becomes the” best friend “of someone, part of the real relationships will be faded or even”says Marius Gheorghe.
“Without clear regulations, applied even by companies that develop these technologies, we risk entering a” wild west “era of artificial intelligence, in which everything is allowed. The technology is already present in our daily lives, including in Romania. The changes are fast, close to one day to another, and the responsible adaptation becomes a necessity, not just a choice ”, he concludes.
Would you sound instead of users for schedules and information
The discussion comes in the context in which Google has expanded a new function based on artificial intelligence in the United States, which can make phone calls instead of users, to request information or make local businesses, according to The Verge. The function, available directly in Google Search, uses Gemini and Duplex technologies and is currently active for fields such as pet care centers, cleaning and car services.
When a user is looking for such a service, the option “Have AI check pricing” appears, through which the system requires details about the type of service, the communication preferences and the desired range. The AI presents clearly as an automatic assistant from Google and sends the answers via SMS or e-mail.
Robby Stein, the vice -president of the product division for Google Search, explained to The Verge that the calls are generated with the Gemini 2.5, integrated into the Duplex system. The function is available free of charge for all US users, but Ultra and Ultra plans subscribers benefit from extended and access to the advanced Gemini 2.5 Pro version, optimized for complex, mathematics and programming reasoning.
At the same time, Google tests the integration of the Deep Search function into AI mode, allowing the creation of detailed reports generated automatically. The system uses a chain of successive reasoning and questions, checking its answers alone.
Business owners can refuse to receive calls AI through Google Business profile settings.
Although controversial, the function responds to a clear tendency: more and more users, especially young people, avoid telephone calls and prefer fast digital interactions, without social discomfort.
