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Google is rolling out a new AI powered business calling feature. There's some controversy from the past, but also a really interesting new way to get info from businesses without actually having to call them yourself. You send Google and their AI agent to do that. This is rolling out to users in the United States and there's a whole bunch of really interesting features that are coming that are shipping with this essentially. So before we get into all of that, I want to mention if you want to try any of the latest AI models that on my platform, AI Box AI which has just released our beta, there is a playground that lets you access the top 40 AI models all for $20 a month. So you get access to Anthropic Cohere, Deepseek, Google Meta, Mistral, OpenAI, tons of others. Grok image models like Black Forest Labs, Ideogram the image model from OpenAI and text to speech models like Eleven Labs. So there's tons of different models. You can chat with all of the models in the same chat thread. Just switch whatever model you want to talk to depending on what your use case is and you can compare the results. Ask the same question to multiple AI models or get multiple. Get your response regenerated by different models to see which one you like the best. So anyways, if it sounds interesting to you, you can go over to AI Box AI and check it out. There is a link in the description. All right, let's get into what Google has rolled out here in what people are calling a pretty big update as far as making something useful that people actually use. So they're calling this an agentic AI powered business caller. The thing about it is like, I don't know if I'd necessarily call this agentic. Like it. I guess it accomplishes the task for you. It does a call, but it's just, it's asking very basically a question and then it's kind of like hanging up. It's. It's a workflow. It doesn't, it's not really thinking or doing too much other than that. So I don't know if we want to call this an agent yet, but people have different definitions of agents. In any case, this is rolling out to users in the us. They've actually been testing this since January, but you had to be, you kind of had to opt in on their, their AI Labs platform or whatever so to actually be able to test this. But now everyone is going to be able to use this. It's using Gemini 2.5 Pro. So this is their best AI model to do the, you know, the LLM and kind of the reasoning element of this and then they're using their own voice model. So they, a couple years ago they had some sort of tool that was similar and it got a lot of criticism. It definitely wasn't as good as what they're rolling out now. But the thing that people didn't like is there were, you know, businesses or people were just thinking that they were talking to an actual human. So they've, they've said, okay, we're going to identify ourselves as an actual bot when we call. So the way this essentially works is you'll be able to go to something like Google Search or, you know, or like Google Maps, find a business that you're interested in contacting. So if it was like a pet groomer, you'd click on the groomer and then you're going to be able to fill out a bunch of information. So essentially you get a pick that you want to, you want to, you know, it's quote unquote, it says have AI check pricing or whatever. So you get the AI initiated. It's going to ask you some questions, right? So you're going to say like, what services are you specifically interested in? When are you looking to do this? You can say as soon as possible. What's your contact details? You can put your email and phone number in there. And then you know, what city are you based out of? You put your city, okay, so you hit submit. The AI will then go and call the business and says, I think before it, it actually makes a call, it's going to say, hey, I am an AI from Google calling on behalf of a user to get some information about your business. And then we'll say, you know, like, hey, I'm the user. You know, Elsa is interested in a nail trimming service and she's interested in doing it as soon as possible. She's based here in the city, blah, blah, blah, blah, and you know, asks what their info is. Once they get that back to you, Google will send you the information. So now you have, you know, what the pricing is. And this is super useful in my opinion. And because essentially like, if I was interested in getting the pricing from, like, I don't know, I wanted to shop around to get the pricing on like a pet grooming package from a bunch of different companies. And you know, you call them all up and talk to them all and get sucked into a conversation with five different people just to compare pricing. This seems like a really fast way to do it. But I think from the business side, maybe they don't like it as much because I'm thinking from myself. You know, I own a podcast studio in Arizona that I have used to run my podcast for a long time. And at this point it's just a local business that my studio manager, he, he runs that for me because I've moved to the other side of the country. But, you know, answering phone calls like that, a lot of times local businesses like to kind of like, you know, ask them about their pet or ask about their, you know, whatever they're calling about and get more information and try to like, build rapport. So they're going to, you know, use them and book with them. And so I think a lot of local businesses will feel maybe a little bit annoyed just giving the information to an AI who it knows is just going to shop around at like 5 to 10 different businesses and then just deliver the lowest price. And you don't always get to sell yourself or your extra features or extra service, you know, like, and I'm sure we've all experienced this talking to people, so maybe it's, maybe it's annoying. I don't know. I'm just trying to think from a local business perspective. But, you know, a lot of times when someone's like, hey, like, I want to get a dog grooming package, like, okay, well, you got to make sure that like, the shampoo you use on the dog is like eco friendly and it's going to be, you know, good for their skin and blah, blah. We always use that kind of shampoo, blah, blah. Right. Like, you can find some element and talk up about why you're the highest quality and maybe not the lowest price. Meanwhile, you might call the next guy and he's like, yep, we get you in like in 10 minutes, we'll get it done really quick, blah, blah, blah. But he's using like lower quality products. I don't know. This is just theoretical example, right? So when you make those calls, you kind of want to sell yourself. And, and I think people will be annoyed if an AI is literally just asking them, what's the bottom line price? And so users will like it if they're really price conscious, but you may not always get the best quality. And you might not know, maybe not quality, but you might not know about that extra information. Maybe you don't even know what question you should be asking when you're calling a roofer about some sort of roofing. You didn't get to find out that there's, you know, this cheap shingle and there's an expensive shingle and, and you know, the expensive ones are way higher quality. And so now you're going to go with the cheapest quote you got out of five roofers, but it's going to be the lowest quality thing. So there's like, definitely some pros and cons here. Is it useful? Yes, I would definitely say it's useful. But sometimes, like when you're doing the research and you're calling these companies, you're getting more information than just what I feel like an AI model is going to extract out of them. You'll, you might learn a little bit more. Maybe you learn that there's different qualities of material. And then when you call your next person and you're still asking for quotes, you ask, you know, what, you know, level of asphalt is on the shingle and you know, what the, how many years it's rated for. And then you find out it's less. And then you, you're going to go with the original one, even if it was a little bit more money. I don't know. Right. So, so this is the, this is the, the things that I think about when it comes to this. In any case, this should be a very interesting tool. I'm excited for it to be launched. I would definitely use it. I see some serious value in it. In addition to this, Google's also doing a whole bunch of updates to their AI mode, where you're actually able to ask questions. They have a deep research and they're adding Gemini 2.5 Pro to power the new AI mode. So it's essentially a competitor to Perplexity. They didn't really want to completely replace Google search. They just made something called AI mode, which is basically, you know, competing with chat, GPT search and Perplexity. So a whole bunch of new things rolling out from Google. It's definitely going to increase adoption of AI. I'm excited to see how it goes. It's interesting to see Google get into automated voice calling. This is obviously very interesting industry, so it'll be interesting to see how Google actually rolls this out. If people find this useful or if they feel like they're missing different data points when talking to companies like I kind of talked about. In any case, thank you so much for tuning into the podcast. I hope that this was useful. If it was, the thing that would mean the world to me is if you could like this video on YouTube, if you're watching it there, or leave a rating review over on Apple or Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in and I will catch you in the next episode.
Summary of "AI on the Line: Google’s Voice Revolution"
The Joe Rogan Experience of AI delves into the transformative advancements in artificial intelligence with a focus on Google's latest innovation in AI-powered business calling. Released on July 20, 2025, this episode explores the functionalities, benefits, and potential challenges of Google's new feature, providing listeners with an in-depth understanding of its impact on both consumers and businesses.
The episode opens with the host introducing Google's new AI-driven business calling service. This tool allows users to obtain information from businesses without the need to make calls personally. Instead, Google's AI agent handles the communication on behalf of the user.
[00:00] Host: "Google is rolling out a new AI powered business calling feature... You send Google and their AI agent to do that."
The AI-powered calling feature leverages Google's advanced Gemini 2.5 Pro model combined with Google's proprietary voice model. Users can access this service via platforms like Google Search or Google Maps by selecting a business and initiating a call through the AI agent. The process involves:
[00:00] Host: "...it's using Gemini 2.5 Pro... and they're using their own voice model."
The host highlights several advantages of this feature:
Efficiency: Users can quickly gather information from multiple businesses without engaging in prolonged conversations.
[00:00] Host: "This seems like a really fast way to do it."
Cost-Effectiveness: By automating the information gathering process, users save time and effort.
Comparative Analysis: Users can compare responses from different businesses efficiently, aiding in informed decision-making.
Despite its benefits, the host raises concerns about the feature's reception from businesses:
Lack of Human Interaction: Businesses may find it challenging to build rapport or showcase unique selling points when interacting with an AI agent.
[00:00] Host: "Local businesses will feel maybe a little bit annoyed just giving the information to an AI."
Limited Information Gathering: AI agents might only extract basic information, missing out on nuanced details that a human conversation would reveal.
[00:00] Host: "You're getting more information than just what... an AI model is going to extract out of them."
Quality vs. Price Trade-off: Automating calls focused solely on pricing might lead users to prioritize cost over quality, potentially disadvantaging businesses that offer superior services at higher prices.
[00:00] Host: "You might not get to sell yourself or your extra features... you're going to go with the original one, even if it was a little bit more money."
The host expresses a balanced view, acknowledging the tool's utility while contemplating its broader implications:
Utility: Recognizes the feature as a valuable tool for price-conscious consumers looking to make quick comparisons.
[00:00] Host: "Is it useful? Yes, I would definitely say it's useful."
Impact on Local Businesses: Considers how automated calls might affect small businesses that rely on personal interactions to secure clientele.
Future Implications: Speculates on how this tool might reshape consumer-business interactions and the quality of services chosen.
Beyond the business calling feature, the host discusses additional updates from Google:
AI Mode Enhancements: Google is introducing updates powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro, positioning AI Mode as a competitor to platforms like Perplexity.
[00:00] Host: "They have a deep research and they're adding Gemini 2.5 Pro to power the new AI mode."
Integration with Search: Unlike previous iterations, AI Mode complements rather than replaces Google Search, offering a hybrid approach to information retrieval.
Increased AI Adoption: These updates are expected to drive higher adoption rates of AI technologies among users.
The episode concludes with the host expressing optimism about Google's advancements in AI:
Excitement for Launch: Eager anticipation for the rollout and real-world application of the AI-powered business calling feature.
[00:00] Host: "This should be a very interesting tool. I'm excited for it to be launched."
Balanced View on Adoption: While recognizing the tool's potential, the host remains mindful of the challenges and nuances that come with automating human interactions.
Encouragement to Listeners: The host invites listeners to engage with the podcast by providing feedback and ratings.
[00:00] Host: "If it was, the thing that would mean the world to me is if you could like this video on YouTube... Thanks so much for tuning in and I will catch you in the next episode."
Innovation in AI Communication: Google's AI-powered business calling represents a significant step in automating customer interactions, aiming to streamline information gathering for users.
Efficiency vs. Personal Touch: While the tool offers efficiency, it may lack the personalized interaction that fosters deeper business-consumer relationships.
Quality Assurance: Automated calls focused on pricing may lead consumers to prioritize cost over quality, potentially affecting business dynamics.
Broader AI Integration: Google's continuous enhancements in AI Mode signify a broader commitment to integrating AI seamlessly into everyday user experiences.
User Adoption: The balance between utility and maintaining quality interactions will play a crucial role in the widespread adoption and success of such AI tools.
For those interested in exploring the latest AI models, the host mentions AI Box AI's playground. Subscribers can access over 40 AI models for a monthly fee, facilitating comparisons and diverse use cases. More details are available through the link provided in the podcast description.
This comprehensive summary encapsulates the essential discussions, insights, and perspectives shared in the episode, providing a clear overview for those who haven't listened to the podcast.