https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/8/17332070/google-assistant-makes-phone-call-demo-duplex-io-2018 >On stage at I/O 2018, Google showed off a stunning, in-the-works capability of Google Assistant; it might someday make phone calls on your behalf. CEO Sundar Pichai played back a phone call recording that he said was placed by the Assistant to a hair salon. The voice sounded incredibly natural; the person on the other end had no idea they were talking to a digital AI helper. Pichai reiterated that it was a real call using Assistant. This is next-level AI stuff, but Google’s chief executive said it’s still very much under development. Google plans to conduct early testing of Duplex inside Assistant this summer “to help users make restaurant reservations, schedule hair salon appointments, and get holiday hours over the phone.” >Pichai says the Assistant can “handle the interaction gracefully” and react intelligently even when a conversation isn't totally straightforward and veers a bit off course. “We’ve been working on this technology for many years,” he said. It’s called Google Duplex. “We’re still developing this technology, and we want to work hard to get this technology and the expectations right.” Google has published a blog post with more details and soundbites of Duplex in action.