What Happened to Google Duplex

Google Duplex was an Artificial Intelligence (AI) service built to place natural-sounding telephone calls to local businesses on behalf of consumers.

Google demonstrated the technology at Google I/O in May 2018, expanded it to Duplex on the Web in 2019, and shut down the web version in December 2022 to concentrate on core voice capabilities.

At Layer3 Labs, we build customer-service automation for small businesses, and today Google's agentic calling in Search, Meta Muse and Instinct Instinct Concierge do the job Duplex was demonstrated doing.

What Google Duplex Is

Google Duplex is the AI Google demonstrated at Google I/O in May 2018, phoning a restaurant and a hair salon in a natural-sounding voice to book for the user. Google shut down the web version, Duplex on the Web, in December 2022 to focus on Duplex voice features. Google's agentic calling in Search, Meta Muse and Instinct Concierge now do the job Duplex was demonstrated doing.

Google's agentic calling post does not name Duplex. Google has not said that today's calls run on Duplex.

The 2018 Google Duplex Demonstration

Google demonstrated Duplex at Google I/O in May 2018 with calls in which Google Assistant phoned a restaurant and a hair salon to book for the user, TechCrunch reported.

The demo caused a stir. The caller was software speaking in a natural-sounding voice. The people answering at the restaurant and the salon were real staff at real businesses.

Duplex on the Web and the 2022 Shutdown

Google shut down Duplex on the Web in December 2022 after operating the browser automation service for three years. Introduced at Google I/O 2019, Duplex on the Web completed tasks on websites such as buying movie tickets, checking out and changing passwords, 9to5Google reported.

Google said it would focus on Duplex voice technology instead, naming features such as Hold for Me and Direct My Call. Google also named calls to businesses that check store hours and product inventory among the voice features it would keep.

Modern Google Duplex Alternatives

Three services now do the job Duplex was demonstrated doing: Google's agentic calling in Search, Meta Muse and Instinct Concierge.

In January 2025, Google began testing Ask for Me in Search Labs for nail salons and auto repair shops, as detailed by Search Engine Journal. Google later expanded this into agentic calling in Google Search. This allows United States consumers to check retail inventory across nearby stores. You can examine how this works in our guide to Google Ask for Me.

Meta entered the market on September 8, 2026. It announced its personal assistant, Muse. On September 16, 2026, Meta opened public beta testing for business phone calls placed by Meta Muse. Users can book tables, schedule salon services, and verify product inventory. Learn more about what Meta Muse is and how to handle calls from Meta Muse.

Instinct launched Instinct Concierge in early access on September 16, 2026. Instinct Concierge places calls for dining reservations at venues lacking online portals, coordinates dental cancellation lists, and addresses cable billing issues. Our guide explains how Instinct AI works. Our roundup reviews AI assistants that place phone calls.

• Google agentic calling checks store inventory and service pricing, delivering text or email summaries
• Meta Muse places calls for restaurant bookings, salon appointments, and service inquiries
• Instinct Concierge handles service bookings, cancellation lists, and billing disputes

Comparison of Inbound Automated Calling Services

The three services differ in what their makers have published about how a call introduces itself and how a business can opt out.

Google agentic calling states upfront that it is an automated call from Google on behalf of a user, according to reporting from Android Police. It checks stock availability, wait times, and pricing. Google explicitly notes that its automated calls will never request credit card numbers, payment details, or passwords.

Meta Muse provides call transcripts and summaries to its users. However, Meta has not published the exact introduction script Muse uses, its outgoing phone numbers, or a standard merchant opt-out process. According to a Reuters exclusive reported by BNN Bloomberg, Meta tested a "human concierge" in which trained human contractors in call centers placed some calls requested through Muse. 404 Media also reported those calls. Meta rolled those calls back, and a Meta vice president said starting them without proper disclosure was "a miss."

Instinct has not published how Instinct Concierge introduces itself on a call. It has also not published how a business can opt out.

Protocols for Handling Automated Phone Calls

Train front-desk workers to view automated calls as delegated inquiries from real local customers. Staff should collect the customer name, requested service details, and a callback telephone number so the business can confirm the reservation through standard operational channels.

Never process credit card payments during these calls. Do not disclose sensitive administrative data either. Google Business Profile documentation confirms that Google automated systems will never request card numbers or login credentials.

Google's help page lists four ways for a business to stop Google's automated calls. Two of them are a setting in Business Profile and saying "Please stop calling my business" on the call. Our Google Ask for Me guide walks through all four, including the voicemail number for phone-tree calls.

Staff may suspect an incoming call uses an artificial voice. Common non-numeric indicators include unnatural delays before each response, flat vocal inflection during interruptions, or an inability to answer basic clarifying questions. Explore our evaluation of AI voice detectors for additional operational context.

Legal Rules for Synthetic Voice Calls

Federal regulators enforce strict restrictions on automated voice calls, though legal protections focus primarily on consumer mobile devices rather than commercial landlines.

On February 8, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted Declaratory Ruling FCC 24-17, establishing that AI-generated voices constitute "artificial" voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Under 47 U.S.C. § 227, artificial voice calls placed to mobile phones require prior express consent. Marketing calls require prior express written consent. Private individuals can sue for statutory damages of $500 per violation, or up to $1,500 if a court finds the violation willful.

Commercial landlines generally fall outside the TCPA consent mandates governing artificial voices. In August 2024, the FCC proposed rules to define AI-generated calls and require callers to disclose AI usage, as published in the Federal Register. We have not verified that they were finalized as of September 27, 2026. You should treat them as proposed.

An AI agent booking for a real customer differs from a telemarketing campaign, because a person who wants the business's service started the call. The legality of customer-directed automated calling remains untested in court. Merchants experiencing abusive calls can file reports with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) through its fraud reporting portal or via the FCC complaint center. For recording rules, review our guide to two-party consent state laws and our analysis on whether AI phone calls are legal.

The legal points above provide general information. They are not legal advice. Business owners should consult a licensed attorney to evaluate regulatory compliance and liability within their specific jurisdiction.

Limits of Automated Booking Systems

Finish any booking that needs a deposit or a card number through your own booking channel. Google says its automated calls never ask for payment, card details or passwords.

Review your front-desk operational guidelines today. Instruct staff never to provide financial credentials over an automated line, and verify your communication preferences in your Google Business Profile settings.