Google's robot assistant now makes eerily lifelike phone calls for you

Google Duplex contacts hair salon and restaurant in demo, adding 'er' and 'mmm-hmm' so listeners think it's human

Google's virtual assistant can now make phone calls on your behalf to schedule appointments, make reservations in restaurants and get holiday hours.

The robotic assistant uses a very natural speech pattern that includes hesitations and affirmations such as "er" and "mmm-hmm" so that it is extremely difficult to distinguish from an actual human phone call.