We’ve already seen Duplex book restaurant reservations and even haircuts, but now it can take you a big step further on your next journey − and it’s even more unsettling.
Google is bringing its ambitious Duplex AI System to the web, and now it can even book you a rental car. All, of course, based on your personal data.
Duplex is an AI System intend to solve real world tasks. The most popular example of its practical use is as a restaurant reservation tool, where it can take note of the number of customers and your preferred choice of food to speed up the process and book over the phone for you.
But at Google I/O on May 7, a whole new application of the project was revealed, moving the tool on to web page bookings rather than just automated phone reservations.
The example given on-stage at Google I/O was booking a rental car for your holiday. In this case, Google Assistant sent a notification reminding the user of a trip to Chicago, jogging their memory to book a rental car.
Whereas right now that would kickstart a lengthy process of scrolling through webpages and filling in your details page-by-page and box-by-box, Duplex offers a quick solution. In the brief demonstration, Duplex was able to fill in all of these details instantaneously (with your approval) — and this doesn’t just include the dates of your trip, but even the car you would prefer to drive, apparently all based on your Gmail history.
While this new tool should make time-consuming everyday tasks so much easier, we can’t help but feel a bit disquieted by one provider knowing so much about your private details and personal preferences.
As of yet we don’t know when this feature will reach the UK, as Duplex is currently only available in certain US locations. But it’s a fair bet it can’t be far away from reaching us.
Is Duplex going to become an integral part of your digital life, or is it just too creepy? Let us know on Twitter: @TrustedReviews
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
