Google shuts AI-driven service 'Duplex on the Web'

SAN FRANCISCO: Google has announced to shut down Duplex on the Web, a technology that enables Google Assistant to automate certain user tasks for site visitors.

According to a note on a Google support page, Duplex on the Web is "deprecated" and will no longer be supported as of this month.

"Any automation features enabled by Duplex on the Web will no longer be supported after this date," said the update.

"As we continue to improve the Duplex experience, we're responding to the feedback we've heard from users and developers about how to make it even better," a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch.

"By the end of this year, we'll turn down Duplex on the Web and fully focus on making AI advancements to the Duplex voice technology that helps people most every day," the spokesperson added.

The company introduced Duplex on the Web during its 2019 Google I/O developer conference.

Duplex on the Web enables Google Assistant to perform different actions on the sites.

These actions are performed in full view of the user, who can stop the process and take back control at any time.

"Duplex on the Web trains periodically against your site to enable Google Assistant to perform certain actions," according to the company.

If Duplex on the Web is enabled for your site in Search Console, Google Assistant can offer to perform supported actions for site visitors.