Google Duplex is a pretty big leap the evolution of artificial intelligence. Now, this is not to say that we’ll have human-like robots that can do the laundry or go shopping like in that movie I, Robot (at least not anytime soon). But, Google Duplex is a huge step in terms of A.I.’s ability to more naturally converse with humans. But what is it?
WHAT EXACTLY IS GOOGLE DUPLEX?
For years, businesses have been trying to create a way for people to have conversations with computers. Almost every time we call a business, we encounter an automated phone system. We have virtual assistants on our phones and virtual assistant-powered speakers in our homes. But although these computer systems can be helpful, they have their shortcomings.In a blog post, Google notes that one of the biggest problems with these systems is that the user has to adjust to the system, instead of the system adjusting to the user. Think about all of the times you have to repeat yourself when you’re on the phone with an automated system, or all of the times that a virtual assistant hears something different than what you actually said.
Google Duplex helps with these problems by allowing the computer to have a natural conversation with a human. The A.I. system adjusts to the person, instead of the person adjusting to the system. Therefore, the person can speak normally, just as they would if they were speaking to another person. Google Duplex also makes it so the computer system sounds like a human. It uses a natural tone and uses words and phrases like “um” and “uh” just like a human person would. During a conversation, the A.I. system can also handle interruptions and elaborate.
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