Google’s AI Wants to Call Stores for You — Here Are the Problems With That

Google on Thursday announced an expansion of its mobile Gemini AI capabilities, a new agentic feature built to handle everyday phone calls for you. Introverts of the world, rejoice — but also pay attention to the fine print, because there are limits to what Gemini can do for you.

This technology, which starts with a “@Call for me” prompt when using Gemini on your phone, is slowly rolling out to eligible users. Gemini could call a store to verify business hours or ask about product availability. With the right prompt, it could call a local restaurant and make a reservation for a specific time. Or it could ask about pricing for a specific service, such as dry cleaning a suit.

CNET

Gemini’s new feature is intentionally limited when it’s time to close the deal. It’s designed not to make any payments or share a credit card number, though it can share your name and contact information.

That means, for many tasks you may want Gemini to handle, you’ll have to follow along with a transcript or listen in to the call, then use the “take over” option to sub in for the AI and provide sensitive data. This limits how much time the call-for-me feature can really save.

CNET senior editor and mobile guru Michael Sorrentino has questions about the new feature.

“While I’d like to test this out, the real measure of this feature will be both its transparency of being an AI assistant and whether businesses themselves will be willing to talk to it,” he told me. “I’ve long enjoyed Pixel’s other Call Screening features and Hold For Me (feature) for skipping hold music, so seeing Google get Gemini involved isn’t surprising.”

A representative from Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Will businesses play along?

Gemini will play an automated message to whoever takes your call, letting them know an AI is speaking, before launching into a conversation based on your prompt. But a lot depends on how the business responds.

Will there be a way for businesses to prioritize human calls over Gemini AI if they want to? What if a specific business location receives too many AI-generated calls and can’t reach human callers in a reasonable time?

Google is restricting this feature from using emergency services, but many service-related companies could still run into issues. And it’s unclear how the new call-for-me feature will handle voicemail recordings or phone wait times, which are common in busy shops and restaurants.

When someone answers a call, questions arise about how employees will manage an AI interaction. The process remains distinct from speaking with a human, and unanticipated contact may cause confusion among staff. Organizations receiving a high volume of AI-generated calls will likely need to implement new operational guidelines to manage these interactions. While blocking Gemini calls is possible through an opt-out process, the availability of this feature for all companies isn’t clear. I also want to see how well the Gemini feature responds to a business that asks you to call back.

Finally, the calling feature has daily limits, though Google doesn’t specify how many calls you can make. This is probably to prevent overuse of Gemini’s energy-hungry features and to stop people from using it to make robocalls.

How do I get the call-for-me ability?

You’ll have to jump through several hoops to use this Gemini feature if you’re interested. First, you’ll need to be over 18 and have a Pixel 11 or later phone. The service is only available in the US and in English for now.

Next, you’ll need a Google AI subscription, which starts at $5 per month, and you’ll have to download the public beta of the Phone by Google app. Then you can update to the newest version of the Gemini app and use the @Call for me ability in a prompt.

Risks and issues

Google has set boundaries on the call feature, including restrictions about what sensitive data the AI can share. By design, it can’t provide data such as passwords or Social Security numbers. But that doesn’t mean it’s risk-free.

Google has confirmed that Gemini breached the security of three different companies this year without permission, raising questions about how easily the AI can slip past Google’s safeguards.

We’ll be testing this feature as soon as we can and will report back.

Tyler Lacoma

Senior Editor / Home Security and Smart Home

Tyler has worked on, lived with and tested all types of smart home and security technology for over a dozen years, explaining the latest features, privacy tricks, and top recommendations.

With degrees in Business Management, Literature and Technical Writing, Tyler takes every opportunity to play with the latest AI technology, push smart devices to their limits and occasionally throw cameras off his roof, all to find the best devices to trust in your life. He always checks with the renters (and pets) in his life to see what smart products can work for everyone, in every living situation.

Living in beautiful Bend, Oregon gives Tyler plenty of opportunities to test the latest tech in every kind of weather and temperature. But when not at work, he can be found hiking the trails, trying out a new food recipe for his loved ones, keeping up on his favorite reading, or gaming with good friends.

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