Google Duplex is now available in three more countries

Google Duplex was so far available in the US and New Zealand with limited features.

Google Duplex comes to more users (REUTERS)

Google has quietly rolled out its robo-calling service Duplex in more markets. The AI-enabled calling service is now available Australia, the UK, and Canada. The service was for only available in the US and New Zealand.

In case you didn't know, Google Duplex was launched in 2018. The AI enabled service is available via Google Assistant. The technology, which mimicked human voice, allowed users to do things like booking tables at restaurants.

"The technology is directed towards completing specific tasks, such as scheduling certain types of appointments. For such tasks, the system makes the conversational experience as natural as possible, allowing people to speak normally, like they would to another person, without having to adapt to a machine," Google explains Duplex.

The technology had stirred a controversy upon its debut. Critics said the technology faced ethics issues and sought a proper disclaimer that it was a machine not a human.

Since 2018, Google's Duplex has undergone several updates and changes. Google has also tried to address concerns related to privacy and ethics in the new updates. Google Duplex is now available on a variety of non-Pixel smartphones.

Last month, Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that the company was using Duplex to reach out to businesses in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

"We're also using our artificial intelligence (AI) technology Duplex where possible to contact businesses to confirm their updated business hours, so we can reflect them accurately when people are looking on Search and Maps," Pichai wrote in a blog post.