Google is testing a new Gemini feature that can make phone calls to businesses on behalf of users, taking the company’s push into AI-powered task automation a step further.
Called ‘Call for Me,’ the feature is initially rolling out to Pixel 11 owners in the US who have a Gemini subscription. Users will also need the beta version of Google’s Phone app for Android, as the feature is currently being tested as an experiment.
Unlike Google’s earlier AI-assisted calling tools, Gemini can now share personal information that users approve for a call. Google says this allows the AI to handle a wider range of tasks while still keeping users involved.
With ‘Call for Me’, Gemini can contact a business, introduce itself, navigate automated phone menus, wait on hold, and then speak with an employee. Users can follow the conversation through a live transcript and take over the call whenever they want. Users make calls using their own phone number directly from their device.
Google says the feature can handle tasks such as checking whether a product is available at a store, making a restaurant reservation, changing an appointment to another date, or placing an item on hold.
The company has also said that Gemini can handle phone conversations after getting through automated systems, rather than simply waiting for a human representative to answer.
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The feature builds on several years of Google’s work on AI-assisted phone calls. The company previously demonstrated Google Assistant calling a salon to make a reservation, while later tools expanded what AI could do on business calls.
Google introduced ‘Ask for Me’ last year, allowing Gemini to call businesses to ask about prices and services. Pixel users have also had access to ‘Hold for Me’, which waits on the line until a person answers, and ‘Talk to a Live Rep’, which can navigate phone systems.
Google said it is starting ‘Call for Me’ on a small scale because ‘real-world conversations are nuanced’ and the company needs time to improve the feature before making it available more broadly.