Google has announced a feature that could allow its Gemini artificial intelligence assistant to call family members and friends on behalf of users, relay messages, and ask questions during phone conversations.

According to technology portal Pplware, the capability was identified during an analysis of the code within Google’s Phone application, where references to a feature named Gemini Calling were found.

The tool could allow users to ask the assistant to carry out tasks such as alerting a family member about a delay or asking a friend whether they plan to attend a dinner. In such cases, Gemini would be responsible for placing the call, conveying the message, and potentially reporting the recipient’s response back to the user.

The development would represent an evolution of Call for Me, an experimental feature that already allows Gemini to contact commercial establishments to check product availability, make reservations, and modify bookings.

In its experimental form, the assistant uses the user’s own phone number and identifies itself as a Google AI placing the call on the user’s behalf. The user can monitor the conversation and take over the communication at any point if needed.

However, the possibility of extending this technology to personal contacts remains under development. Google has not confirmed whether the feature will be launched or when it might reach smartphones.

Any such expansion also raises questions around privacy, transparency, and the potential misuse of artificial intelligence in personal communications. Among the challenges is the need to ensure that recipients are aware they are speaking with a virtual assistant rather than directly with the person they know.

Currently, Call for Me is available experimentally in the United States, with specific requirements regarding device, subscription, application version, and language. The availability of any eventual personal-contact feature on other devices and in other markets remains unconfirmed.

If realised, the innovation could broaden the role of artificial intelligence assistants, shifting them from answering questions to executing tasks and interacting with other people on behalf of users.

Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=551441