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A look at Google Duplex

Google Duplex demonstrates how voice technology can begin to perform everyday interactions for us on our behalf such as making a reservation.
Google Duplex demonstrates how voice technology can perform everyday interactions on our behalf, such as making a reservation.

Let’s take a look at a demonstration of Google Duplex that debuted in May 2018.

This is an additional video, hosted on YouTube.

When this technology was first demonstrated, many voiced their concern that this type of technology could be abused, particularly as the demonstration did not identify itself as a voice assistant, leading to the perception that the person at the other end would believe they were speaking to a human.

Google followed up with a statement of clarification saying, “We understand and value the discussion around Google Duplex – as we’ve said from the beginning, transparency in the technology is important.”, as described in this article from The Independent.

Have your say

What did you think of the demo? How comfortable would you feel interacting with Google Duplex? Do you think interactions with non-humans should be sign-posted or is it okay to have robots do your daily tasks, book a restaurant reservation or order your shopping? Share your thoughts and the answers to these questions with fellow learners in the comments section below.

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Introduction to Conversational Interfaces

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