It looks like Google Duplex is not being as transparent as was promised

When Google Duplex debuted, Google's AI calling/reservation service, it was considered to be a marvel and monumental step for digital and artificial assistance. However, it was not long before concerns were raised about the transparency of the service. For instance, many wondered if the recipient of the call would know if they were speaking to a robot as well as if the call would be recorded. The service would be revolutionary, but there were obvious questions that needed answered prior to widespread release.

In response, Google sought to squash concerns regarding the transparency with a promotional video (see below). In the video, the Assistant immediately discloses that it is indeed automated, recording, and a digital assistant. However, as the featured has started rolling out, there seems to be quite a bit of discrepancy between what Google showed the Assistant to say and what the Assistant actually says.

VentureBeat has been early testing the Duplex feature, and according to them, it appears to be working quite well. The Assistant has been able to accurately and efficiently book reservations for restaurants; this is including ones that were not originally slated to work with the service. However, it is the way in which the Assistant is introducing itself that has caught the attention of a few.

First discovered by Luther Lowe and covered by The Verge, the Assistant no longer identifies itself as automated, artificial, or even digital. As noted from the above video, Google Duplex originally started the call with, “Hi, I’m the Google Assistant calling to make a reservation for a client. This automated call will be recorded.” The Assistant immediately identifies that automation of the call and recording. However, in the VentureBeat video (below), the Assistant begins with, "“Hi, I’m calling to make a reservation for a client. I’m calling from Google, so the call may be recorded.” This time, the Assistant states they are from Google and may record the call. As has been shown, the linguistics of the Assistant are incredibly natural-sounding making it quite easy for a human to fail to recognize the automation.

It appears that The Verge has reached out to Google for comment on the issue, but there has been no official word yet. However, this is certainly a huge deal for Google as this is exactly the issue that put a shadow on their monumental announcement of the feature. On the brighter side, however, it looks like the service appears to be just as incredible as advertised.