What Will the Convergence Of Robotics, Personal Assistants And AI Look Like?

Earlier this year Google unveiled Google Duplex -- a human-sounding robot able to have a conversation with a person on a telephone In many cases, the person couldn't distinguish that they were talking to a robot. It is, as Google explained, technology that is meant to carry out real world tasks over the phone, such as scheduling certain types of appointments. It is not meant for everyday conversations, Google also said -- rather Duplex has been trained in a specific domain, such as taking restaurant reservations, and can only hold a conversation in that domain. There is a school of thought that all of the current research and advancements in personal assistants, in artificial technology and in robotics are heading for a convergence of these technologies -- say a walking, talking robot that is able to run errands for you. This development is not here yet but as creations such as Duplex show, they are coming closer to reality.