Google Duplex was demonstrated at Google's I/O conference on Tuesday, showing the experimental service booking appointments, writing emails, and other virtual assistant tasks automatically.
The automated but human-sounding assistant talked to a hair salon receptionist to make an appointment, then to a restaurant employee to book a table, SF Gate reported.
The audience of coders at the conference cheered wildly at the demonstration, but reactions were decidedly less positive as the news of Duplex broke and became public. Many who heard about the new service thought there should be a disclosure to the people with whom the assistant interacts.
“When did human service workers become Google’s to experiment on?” mused The Verge’s Natt Garun. Garun wondered if the ease of telling Duplex to make an appointment would lead to more rescheduling or no-shows because of the lack of contact with humans.
Duplex is meant to promote “Time Well Spent,” a nonprofit by former Googler Tristan Harris that focuses on ethical design of products rather than just selling advertising.
Twitter users joined in the debate about whether the Google Duplex service should identify itself.
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