In a nutshell: Over the past several years, tech giants have repeatedly introduced features that automatically handle calls to businesses. The latest attempt – Google's second – provides real-time text transcripts and lets users intercede at any time. Meta is currently testing something similar but encountered pushback after handing some calls to human contractors.
Pixel 11 owners can now test a feature that lets Google's AI assistant, Gemini, call businesses to carry out several tasks on their behalf. The company has tried this before, but now aims to give users more control. However, it remains unclear how businesses will respond to calls made by AI.
In what Google describes as an early experiment, users can tell Gemini to call a business to place orders, schedule appointments, make reservations, or check if certain products are in stock. The assistant also navigates automated customer service menus and waits on hold until human representatives respond.
Gemini will identify itself as an AI when making the call, provide a real-time text transcript, and let users take over at any point, unlike the "Call for me" function the company revealed last year. Some of the functionality also resembles "Talk to a Live Representative," a feature Google introduced in 2024 that lets users go about their business while an AI assistant waits on hold. "Direct My Call" is similar, but instead of automating the entire process, it transcribes automated menu features so users can read and more easily remember them.
It remains unclear when or whether the functionality will extend beyond Pixel 11 testers, but Meta is currently testing a similar feature on a wider range of devices. However, when businesses began hanging up upon realizing they were talking to the company's Muse AI, Meta experimented with hiring human contractors to fill the gaps. This strategy also fell through due to privacy concerns and problems with some call center operators.
Like Google, Meta has tried a similar service before: Facebook M. Facebook M was one of many supposedly AI-driven projects that turned out to rely on humans.
Apple's and Google's automatic call-screening features have been somewhat more successful so far. Pixel phones have supported AI-generated responses to calls for years, while Apple only introduced relatively straightforward automatic call screening last year.
