Has Google Duplex Taken Artificial Intelligence Too Far With This Startlingly Realistic Demo?

Google is making headlines for their artificial intelligence and no one knows how to take it. On Tuesday at the annual I/O event, Google gave the world a demonstration of their Google Duplex AI and it was shocking, to say the least.

The shocking demo

The new capability of Google Duplex that was revealed is its ability to make a phone call on your behalf. Google CEO Sundar Pichai played a recording of the eerily realistic phone call that took place between Google Duplex and a Hair Salon, where the AI voice can even be heard making sounds such as “um” and “mhm.” Can you even tell who isn’t real?

Still under development

Though this seems very advanced, Google insists it’s still very much under development. In fact, Google is so invested in their AI program and development, they have gone ahead and renamed their Google Research division to “Google AI.” Google currently notes that Google Duplex can successfully complete most conversations on its own, but occasionally gets overwhelmed and lets a human operator take over.

Sundar Pichai insists that Google Duplex is designed to help you with specific tasks, “the technology is directed towards completing specific tasks, such as scheduling certain types of appointments. For such tasks, the system makes the conversational experience as natural as possible, allowing people to speak normally, like they would to another person, without having to adapt to a machine.”  It’s seemingly innocent, but could AI be taken too far?

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The company says it “wants to be transparent about where and when Duplex is being used,” but you know, a lot of companies say a lot of things. This is starting to sound very Blade Runner-esque if you ask me.

What do you think of Google Duplex? Have they taken AI too far? Let us know in the comments below!

Featured image source: Google Twitter