If, for some unfortunate reason, the future of the human race enters an age where we’re subjugated by ‘evil’ machine overlords, we can take our anger out on Google and their Assistant program.
I realise this opening sentence makes me sound like a technophobe but itt couldn’t be further from the truth.
I love new technology, I even have ambitions of replacing my organic arms with mechanical robot ones which – on command – can transform into a pair of mini Photon Cannons. Clearly, I’ve been watching too much Japanese anime.
However, advancements in technology come at a price. It has the tendency to make us lazy and reliant on these innovations. Can you honestly say your daily life will function normally without your smartphone?
With Google debuting their latest program, dubbed Google Duplex – which is implemented on the existing Google Assistant – we could be on a path which’ll see Artificial Intelligence reach its next stage of evolution. Thus furthering our previously mentioned dependency on new tech.
Google’s rivals, Apple, have already shown us what a basic AI program can do, however, after an exclusive demonstration of Google Assistant’s new functionalities and capabilities, it blows Siri out of the water.
Check it out in the video below:
During a presentation at this year’s I/O – Google’s annual festival for developers – CEO Sundar Pichai showed off a stunning demo of Google Assistant making a phone call – a feature which’ll be fully realised ‘in the not too distant future’.
In the tech demonstration, Pichai played footage of Google Assistant calling up a hair salon and booking an appointment on behalf of the phone’s owner.
Furthermore, unlike Siri – or those annoying automated cold calls which claim you’re entitled to PPI (despite having no clue as to what PPI is) – Google Assistant sounds like an actual person.
When you listen to the audio you’d have a hard time discerning who’s the AI and who’s the human.
Furthermore, Google Assistant is able to pick up on small human mannerisms. While speaking to the salon receptionist you hear the AI assistant say things like ‘umm’ and ‘mm-hmm’.
Pichai told the audience the footage played was a real telephone conversation, and not a staged demo, explaining:
The amazing thing is that Assistant can actually understand the nuances of conversation. We’ve been working on this technology for many years.
While Google Duplex sounds like an incredibly advanced AI, the truth is, it’s still in its developmental phase.
According to tech website Verge, Google is planning to do more tests with Duplex and Assistant this summer.
Pichai claims the Duplex feature in Google Assistant will have numerous benefits:
[It will] help users make restaurant reservations, schedule hair salon appointments, and get holiday hours over the phone.
Even if the conversation veers off topic or ‘doesn’t go as expected’ the program ‘can react intelligently’.
He continued:
We’re still developing this technology, and we want to work hard to get this right.
We really want it to work in cases, say, if you’re a busy parent in the morning and your kid is sick and you want to call for a doctor’s appointment.
Looks like in the ‘not-too-distant future’ all your talking will be done by Google.
If you have a story you want to see in UNILAD send an email to stories@unilad.co.uk
