Google Gemini's 'Call for Me' Feature Arrives: It Will Call Businesses on Your Behalf
Google has announced the "Call for Me" feature, which enables Gemini to call businesses on users' behalf to carry out tasks such as reservations, stock inquiries, and appointment changes. The feature is currently being tested in a limited trial with Pixel 11 users in the US who have a paid Gemini subscription.
Google has announced a new feature called "Call for Me" that lets Gemini make calls to businesses on users' behalf. According to the company's statement, the feature is currently being tested with a limited number of users, and Gemini can relay personal information approved by the user to the other party during the conversation.
According to the company's statement, the feature will initially launch as a trial for Pixel 11 users in the US who have a paid Gemini subscription. To use it, the beta version of the Google Phone app on Android must be installed.
What tasks can it handle?
The new system is said to be able to independently manage complex tasks such as calling a store to ask whether a product is in stock, making a restaurant reservation, changing the date of a scheduled appointment, or putting items on hold. The AI can introduce itself to the business it calls, navigate automated phone menus, and hold on when necessary to keep the conversation going on the other end.
While the call is in progress, users can also follow how the conversation is unfolding in real time through a live transcript and take over the call themselves at any moment. According to the company, "Call for Me" places calls directly from the phone and uses the user's own personal phone number.
A continuation of Google's automated calling experiences
This launch builds on the AI-powered automated calling experiences Google has pursued for years. A few years ago at its I/O developer conference, the company successfully demonstrated Google Assistant calling a hair salon to make a reservation and adding small sounds to make the conversation seem natural. Last year, the "Ask for Me" feature was introduced, allowing Gemini to call businesses to get information about prices and services.
Google says it started this experiment on a small scale because real-world conversations are nuanced, and that it wants to make sure everything works correctly before the feature reaches a wider audience.
