Google grapples with ‘horrifying’ reaction to its uncanny AI


  • TECH
  • Friday, 11 May 2018

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks on stage during the annual Google I/O developers conference in Mountain View, California, May 8, 2018. REUTERS/ Stephen Lam

The most talked-about, futuristic product from Google’s developer show isn’t even finished – but it’s already stoking heated debate. 

At its I/O conference on Tuesday, Alphabet Inc’s Google previewed Duplex, an experimental service that lets its voice-based digital assistant book appointments on its own. It was part of a slate of features, such as automated writing in e-mails, where Google touted how its artificial intelligence technology saves people time and effort. In a demonstration on stage, the Google Assistant spoke with a hair salon receptionist, mimicking the “ums” and “hmms” pauses of human speech. In another demo, it chatted with a restaurant employee to book a table. The audience of software coders cheered. 

Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month
RM5/month

Billed as RM5/month for the 1st 6 months then RM13.90 thereafters.

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Tech News

Apple still leads high-end smartphone sales in China, but Huawei and Honor are catching up
Brave China ‘cancer warrior’ dies two days after 25th birthday, final wish to find brother a girlfriend left unfulfilled, leaves netizens devastated
Meta shares plunge 16% in Frankfurt after AI spending, revenue forecast
What next for TikTok in the US?
Atos says it will need more cash than expected
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
STMicro cuts FY revenue outlook as slowing car market bites
Tesla driver in Seattle-area crash that killed motorcyclist told police he was using Autopilot
Spurred by teen girls, US states move to ban deepfake nudes
DR Congo accuses Apple of using ‘blood minerals’ from war-torn east

Others Also Read