When, at the end of my life, they tally up how I spent my time (it’ll be a fun funeral), the top three categories will be, in this order: work, sleep, and dick around on customer service phone calls. I, for one, am sick of the amount of time I spend on the phone trying to get basic, “labor-saving” services and products started.
And as creeped out as I am by AI voice programs that are practically indistinguishable from real, live human voices, I finally, FINALLY read a bit of welcome news about AI when Google unveiled Ask for Me, a realistic-sounding AI voice program that’ll call up local businesses and make your appointments for you.
what iT’ll do for you
To install it, go to Google Search Labs on either your desktop or mobile device, and install the “experiment” titled Ask for Me. Right now, there’s a waitlist, and it doesn’t say how long you should expect to wait.
Excited? Can’t wait to use it to free you from those long, agonizing phone calls with FedEx customer service about why they say they tried to deliver your package, even though you were definitely home and nobody knocked? Ahem, yeah, me too, me too.
“From nail service to car repair needs, Google uses AI to call businesses on your behalf and compile the best options in minutes,” its download page says. I had to chuckle a little at that, because it makes it sound like Ask for Me can cover such a range of daily tasks.
Ask for Me’s rollout is happening gradually, and for this introductory iteration, you can only use it to book appointments at auto repair shops and nail salons, not call to handle problems you’ve had with past service or ask for much detailed information. These are the only two types of businesses that Ask for Me supports right now, too.
“This product is in an experimental phase. The experience is not currently available for all service types,” Google writes. Ostensibly, Google will add further types of businesses down the line, should the service prove popular and somehow profitable, even in some indirect way, to Google.
Naturally, Google wants to Hoover up your usage to further refine and train Ask for Me. In a section titled “How data helps Google develop generative AI in Search,” Google writes, “To develop and improve generative AI experiences on Search and the machine learning technologies that power them, Google uses people’s interactions with those experiences.
“This can include interactions like what they search for and feedback they give, like thumbs up or thumbs down. “Human review is one of many ways that we evaluate and improve the quality of our results and products responsibly. For details about data, privacy, and more, learn about generative AI.”
When it can take over the more complicated tasks of wrestling with customer service over more complex problems, that’s the day it’ll be truly mind-blowing. Until then, I guess it’ll save me some time when I have to get my tires rotated.
The post Google’s ‘Ask for Me’ Uses a Realistic AI Voice to Call Businesses for You appeared first on VICE.
