What you need to know
- Google is looking to add conversational AI to the Pixel Call Screen feature.
- The search giant may apply the same AI behind Bard to its spam-blocking functionality.
- There is no exact date for when this feature will be released, but the product manager has mentioned that it will arrive sometime this year.
Google made a serious effort to root out spam calls with the launch of the Call Screen feature on its Pixel phones in 2018, and the company is stepping up its global fight against robocalls by adding conversational AI into the mix.
In the latest episode of the Made by Google podcast (Opens in a new tab)Jonathan Eccles, Google Group Product Manager for the mobile app, shared a few bits about the company’s plan to tackle spam calls (via 9to5Google). (Opens in a new tab)). To be clear, Call Screen actually relies on AI to fight off robocalls. But the search giant appears to be developing a new AI upgrade that will likely use LaMDA, Google’s Large Language Model (LLM) that feeds Bard.
This would give Mountain View’s global crusade against spam calls a key ally in the form of “multi-step, multi-role conversational AI,” which Eccles says “could open a lot of interesting doors in terms of creating this protective and useful layer to every incoming call.” “.
With recent hints that Google is baking a ChatGPT-like chatbot into search, we can count on more Google services capturing the same AI capabilities, with Call Screen being one of the possible candidates.
It’s unclear whether Google chooses to insert Bard itself into the call-blocking option to prevent spam, or come up with a new name. In any case, conversational AI is coming to Call Screen, completing the company’s recent list of AI projects, including major AI upgrades to Gmail and other Google Workspace apps.
There is no clear timeline for when Google’s advanced Call Screen AI will debut. During the podcast, Eccles teased that it will arrive later this year, which means the upgrade will coincide with a major product announcement, likely for Google’s next competitor to the best Android phones.
With the Google Pixel 8 expected to break this fall, we’ll likely learn more about the enhanced call screen functionality by then. We might even hear about it at the upcoming Google I/O event in May, but that’s really no one’s guess at the moment.
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