Google Revives AI-Powered Calling Feature with Call for Me

Google has revived its AI-assisted calling feature, Call for Me, which allows users to make calls to businesses and handle conversations without human intervention. This feature is a revival of Google's Duplex, showcased in 2018, but with some key differences.

The Call for Me feature can navigate automated phone menus, wait on hold, and even ask about product availability or make restaurant reservations. Users can specify the business, desired outcome, preferred dates and times, and alternatives in their request.

For example, a user could say, 'Call [restaurant] and book a table for two at 7pm tomorrow. If 7pm isn't available, ask for 7:30pm.' The feature is currently rolling out to Pixel 11 owners with a Gemini subscription in the US as a beta.

Google's decision to release this feature now could be seen as a competitive response to Meta's testing of its own calling feature, Muse, which involves human contractors handling some calls. However, Google's Call for Me is fully automated, setting it apart from Meta's approach.