This new Google experiment uses AI to save you a phone call

Google is experimenting with a new AI feature that can call businesses for you. It’s called “Ask for Me” and it’s currently being tested with auto shops and nail salons. The idea is to save you the hassle of having to make the call yourself.

This isn’t the first time Google has used AI for this kind of task. Remember Duplex? That’s the technology that can book restaurant reservations for you through Google Search and Maps. Well, Ask for Me uses some of the same underlying technology.

Here’s how it works: If you opt in to Search Labs, you can search for something like “oil change near me” or “manicure near me.” If the feature is available, you’ll see an option to “Ask for Me.” Google’s AI will then call the business and ask about things like pricing and availability.

Screenshots of how the “Ask for Me” works. | Images credit — Google 

It’s still early days for Ask for Me, and there are some limits in place. For example, there are capacity limits, so you might have to wait a while before your call can be placed. But if it’s successful, it could be a huge time-saver for busy people.Personally, I’m excited to see how this develops, but I’m also wondering if this is reaching peak levels of trying to solve a problem that does not exist. I can definitely see myself trying this out, but can already anticipate some confusion. Will the businesses I try to call using this method simply hang up when they realize they are talking to a machine? I feel that at some point, they’ll catch on that it’s not a real person on the phone, and it was perhaps easier and faster to just make the call myself. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how the feature performs during this testing period and if we see adequate user adoption.