Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Solly Malatsi seeks out-of-court deal in TV migration fight

      15 July 2025

      South Africa’s telcos battle to monetise 5G as 4G suffices for most

      15 July 2025

      Major new electric car brand launching in South Africa

      15 July 2025

      MTN empowerment investors see ‘modest’ return as Zakhele Futhi winds up

      15 July 2025

      Eskom wants your solar system registered – but what does that actually mean?

      15 July 2025
    • World

      Grok 4 arrives with bold claims and fresh controversy

      10 July 2025

      Samsung’s bet on folding phones faces major test

      10 July 2025

      Bitcoin pushes higher into record territory

      10 July 2025

      OpenAI to launch web browser in direct challenge to Google Chrome

      10 July 2025

      Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

      7 July 2025
    • In-depth

      The 1940s visionary who imagined the Information Age

      14 July 2025

      MultiChoice is working on a wholesale overhaul of DStv

      10 July 2025

      Siemens is battling Big Tech for AI supremacy in factories

      24 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | MVNX on the opportunities in South Africa’s booming MVNO market

      11 July 2025

      TCS | Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network

      7 July 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

      4 July 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      3 July 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies

      27 June 2025
    • Opinion

      A smarter approach to digital transformation in ICT distribution

      15 July 2025

      In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

      30 June 2025

      E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

      30 June 2025

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Google Assistant is about to get much smarter

    Google Assistant is about to get much smarter

    By Agency Staff8 May 2018
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Trying to schedule a haircut? Or book a restaurant table? Google’s virtual assistant will soon be able to do that for you, a new offering that could give the search engine even more granular data about offline retail businesses.

    That trick was one of the few show-stoppers on Tuesday at the first day of the I/O developer conference for Alphabet’s Google in Mountain View, California. CEO Sundar Pichai demonstrated the feature, called Google Duplex, playing audio of the company’s voice-based bot placing calls to a hair salon and a restaurant.\

    In one demo, the Google assistant goes back-and-forth with the restaurant’s clerk, with the machine system parsing the verbal exchange to book an available seat.

    We have many of these examples where the call doesn’t quite go as expected. But the assistant handles it gracefully

    “We have many of these examples where the call doesn’t quite go as expected,” Pichai said. “But the assistant handles it gracefully. Done correctly, it will save time and generate a lot of value for businesses.”

    Google’s assistant is a central part of Pichai’s strategy to place the voice search tool on as many devices as possible, a race to catch Amazon.com’s Alexa system and Echo speakers. Google has dominated the Internet by giving answers to queries typed into PCs and smartphones. Alexa threatens this by offering a new way to interact with computers and access information via the Internet.

    Google’s voice-based digital assistant, introduced at its developer conference in 2016, has made some traction on Android phones and in home speakers. Research firm EMarketer estimates that Amazon’s Echo devices has about two-thirds of the connected-speaker market, with Google at 30%. By 2020, the firm estimates that Google Home, its Echo rival, will reach one-third of the market.

    At I/O, Google announced that its assistant now runs on 500m devices. Along with the Duplex service, Google introduced a series of updated features — the ability to trigger the service without the phrase “Hey, Google”; new capabilities for children using the service; and new formats for visual devices. Some of the features, like the “pretty please” functions designed for kids, mimic earlier products from Amazon’s Alexa. Google also announced a food delivery service with the assistant, partnering with retailers like Starbucks.  — Reported by Mark Bergen, (c) 2018 Bloomberg LP



    Alexa Amazon Amazon Alexa Google Sundar Pichai
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleMTN launches 5G field trial
    Next Article The key announcements at Google I/O 2018

    Related Posts

    OpenAI to launch web browser in direct challenge to Google Chrome

    10 July 2025

    The satellite broadband operators taking on Starlink

    9 July 2025

    China’s Temu ups ante with South African warehouse launch

    9 July 2025
    Company News

    Mental wellness at scale: how Mac fuels October Health’s mission

    15 July 2025

    Banking on LEO: Q-KON transforms financial services connectivity

    14 July 2025

    The future of business calling: Voys brings your landline to the cloud

    14 July 2025
    Opinion

    A smarter approach to digital transformation in ICT distribution

    15 July 2025

    In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

    30 June 2025

    E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

    30 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.