Google has launched a new AI-powered feature that allows users across the United States to have artificial intelligence make phone calls to local businesses on their behalf. The service, now available through Google Search, enables users to request pricing and availability information from businesses like pet groomers, dry cleaners, and auto shops without having to make the calls themselves.
How it works: Google’s Gemini model uses Duplex technology to conduct business calls, announcing itself as an AI assistant representing a customer.
- Users can select “have AI check pricing” from business listings in Search results for supported service types.
- The system prompts users for specific details about their request, such as pet breed and service type for grooming inquiries.
- AI calls the business directly, identifies itself as Google’s AI, and gathers the requested information.
- Updates are delivered via text or email with available times and pricing details.
What you should know: The feature targets younger users who studies show struggle with phone-based communication, addressing a growing preference for digital interactions.
- Business owners can opt out of receiving AI calls through their Google profile settings.
- Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers receive “higher limits” for more frequent use of the calling feature.
- The service initially launched in testing in January and is now generally available nationwide.
Additional developments: Google is simultaneously testing its more advanced Gemini 2.5 Pro model within AI Mode for subscribers who have opted into the Labs experiment.
- The upgraded model excels at “advanced reasoning, math, and code,” according to Google Search VP Robby Stein.
- AI Mode now includes Deep Search capabilities that create in-depth reports by conducting multi-step reasoning chains.
- “The model is actually reasoning and thinking of questions to ask and Google searches to perform,” Stein explains, noting it “will actually check its work and issue further questions.”
Why this matters: The rollout represents Google’s push into agentic AI services that can perform tasks autonomously, potentially reshaping how consumers interact with local businesses while addressing generational communication preferences.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...