Google’s virtual assistant that’ll make phone calls for you

MANY of us wish we could afford a personal assistant to do our chores.

Now Google claims you could soon have one in your own pocket thanks to its latest software.

The Google Assistant Duplex, which is being piloted this summer, is able to make phone calls without the person on the end of the phone knowing they are not talking to a real person because it mimics human behaviour.

The software is said to understand complex sentences and fast speech.

Users could even choose famous voices, including that of pop singer John Legend, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai told a conference in California.

Writing in a blog, Mr Pichai said: ‘Some day soon, your Google Assistant might be able to help with tasks that still require a phone call, like booking a haircut or verifying a store’s holiday hours.

‘We call this new technology Google Duplex. It’s still early, and we need to get the experience right, but done correctly we believe this will save time for people and generate value for small businesses.’

Scott Huffman, vice president of engineering for Google Assistant, said the new feature will save time by ‘taking tasks off your plate... Whether that’s ordering a coffee or buying movie tickets online’.

The software will be built into new Google Pixel phones and Google Home devices – and iPhone and Android users can also download the software.

Mr Huffman added: ‘If a business uses an online booking service, the Assistant will book through that. And if not, the Assistant will call the business on your behalf.’