Google LLC is pushing ahead with the roll out of its human voicelike Duplex technology despite the moral indignation it received when it was first demonstrated.

The technology, for those who missed the first public demonstration at Google’s I/O developer conference in May, delivers next-generation conversational artificial intelligence to voice delivery through a service that can interact in a surprisingly natural manner.

In this case, that means that unlike existing smart home devices and similar services, the voice doesn’t sound mechanical but human, complete with “ums,” “ahs” and word stretching in a manner that is so uncannily humanlike that it has people upset about the moral implications.

In two press events held in recent days, Google said it is beginning public testing of the technology, which works hand-in-hand with Google Assistant, with a small group of “trusted testers” and businesses that have opted into receiving calls from Duplex, according to CNet. Initially, the software will only call businesses with information requests, though people will be able to start booking reservations starting later this summer.

One notable change to the previous demo and directly addressing the morally concerned, the service now discloses upfront that it is a computer making the call. Along with a caller ID that says “Google Assistant,” the Duplex-generated voice will also disclose on the call its identit,y saying immediately that “Hi, I’m calling to make a reservation. I’m Google’s automated booking service.” For the 11 states that require disclosure, a call recording disclosure will also be added to the introduction message.

The other revelation from the two events — one in New York City and the other in Google’s home city of Mountain View, California — was confirmation by all of those in attendance that the technology works. Some observers had suggested that Google’s May demo of Duplex may have been faked.

“Believe the hype,” Ars Technica’s Ron Amadeo said. “Google’s phone-call bot is every bit as impressive as promised.”

Whether the disclosure of the use of Duplex upfront is enough to address concerns of those against the technology is yet to be seen. But with Google pushing ahead with the service irrespective of its critics, if you run a business that isn’t part of the testing program, there’s every chance you’ll start receiving phone calls from Google Assistant as soon as next year.

Image: Google