When you want to know the price of dog grooming nearby, the last thing you may expect is an AI making the call on your behalf. But that’s exactly the future Google unveiled this week as it launched its new business-calling feature across the United States, alongside major upgrades to its AI-powered search tools.
The business-calling tool, built into Google Search, lets users choose an option like “Have AI check pricing.” From there, Google’s system collects extra details such as your pet’s breed or your preferred appointment times and places a call directly to the business. Crucially, each call begins with an announcement that it’s an automated system calling from Google.
“Every interaction starts transparently,” a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch, distancing the service from earlier controversies.
This is not Google’s first foray into AI calls. Back in 2018, the company faced fierce backlash over Google Duplex, whose humanlike voice fooled some people into thinking they were speaking to a real person. Now, Google insists its bots will identify themselves, aiming to soothe concerns about deception.
But phone calls are just one piece of Google’s broader AI ambitions.
The tech giant has integrated its powerful Gemini 2.5 Pro model into “AI Mode,” a feature within Google Search that allows users to ask complex, multi-part questions and receive synthesized answers. Gemini 2.5 Pro reportedly excels at tasks ranging from coding support to solving advanced math problems, potentially challenging competitors like Perplexity AI and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search.
Perhaps most striking is Google’s new “Deep Search.” The tool performs hundreds of searches in parallel, analyzing diverse sources to produce a fully cited report in minutes. From career research to financial analysis, Deep Search is designed for those needing comprehensive answers rather than quick results.
“Deep Search can save users hours by collecting and reasoning over vast amounts of data,” Google said in its announcement.
Why It Matters
Yet as these innovations roll out, questions loom. Critics warn of growing dependence on automated tools, the potential erosion of human jobs in customer service, and fresh privacy risks as AI agents act on users’ behalf.
Still, Google seems determined to transform how people seek information and how businesses connect with customers.
For tech enthusiasts and startup founders, the message is clear: the search engine is no longer just a gateway to websites; it’s becoming an active agent in our daily lives.
And whether this heralds a new era of empowerment or a deeper entanglement with Big Tech remains to be seen.
Talking Points
Africa Must Wake Up AI Won’t Wait for Us. Let’s be blunt: While the West fine-tunes AI to call businesses on your behalf, many African countries are still struggling to get reliable internet access, let alone integrate AI into daily services. Google’s rollout should serve as a siren call, not just another cool thing happening “out there.” If we’re not careful, the tech gap becomes a tech chasm.
Convenience or Control? Google now makes phone calls for you. Soon, it will be researching you. These “agentic” AI tools claim to save time and boost productivity, but at what cost? If a machine is now navigating customer service and decision-making for you, are you still in control, or is Big Tech subtly taking over your thought process?
The Illusion of Consent. Yes, Google says its AI introduces itself as a bot, but let’s be real. This feels like a sanitized cover for an old problem: machines impersonating humans. In many African markets where literacy or tech literacy is uneven, people may not even grasp what “AI from Google” really means. What happens when AI talks to a business owner who’s not fluent in digital jargon? Misinformation, mispricing, miscommunication.
