<s>
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
is	O
a	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
software	O
application	O
developed	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
that	O
is	O
primarily	O
available	O
on	O
mobile	B-Application
and	O
home	O
automation	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
can	O
engage	O
in	O
two-way	O
conversations	O
,	O
unlike	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
previous	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
,	O
Google	B-Application
Now	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
debuted	O
in	O
May	O
2016	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
messaging	O
app	O
Allo	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
its	O
voice-activated	O
speaker	O
Google	B-Device
Home	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
period	O
of	O
exclusivity	O
on	O
the	O
Pixel	O
and	O
Pixel	O
XL	O
smartphones	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
deployed	O
on	O
other	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
starting	O
in	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
including	O
third-party	O
smartphones	O
and	O
Android	B-Application
Wear	I-Application
(	O
now	O
Wear	B-Application
OS	I-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
standalone	O
app	O
on	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
operating	O
system	O
in	O
May	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alongside	O
the	O
announcement	O
of	O
a	O
software	B-Application
development	I-Application
kit	I-Application
in	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
Assistant	O
has	O
been	O
further	O
extended	O
to	O
support	O
a	O
large	O
variety	O
of	O
devices	O
,	O
including	O
cars	O
and	O
third-party	O
smart	B-Device
home	I-Device
appliances	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
primarily	O
interact	O
with	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
through	O
natural	B-Language
voice	I-Language
,	O
though	O
keyboard	O
input	O
is	O
also	O
supported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Assistant	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
answer	O
questions	O
,	O
schedule	O
events	O
and	O
alarms	O
,	O
adjust	O
hardware	O
settings	O
on	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
device	O
,	O
show	O
information	O
from	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
Google	B-Application
account	O
,	O
play	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
has	O
also	O
announced	O
that	O
Assistant	O
will	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
identify	O
objects	O
and	O
gather	O
visual	O
information	O
through	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
camera	O
,	O
and	O
support	O
purchasing	O
products	O
and	O
sending	O
money	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
CES	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
Assistant-powered	O
smart	B-Device
displays	I-Device
(	O
smart	B-Device
speakers	I-Device
with	O
video	O
screens	O
)	O
were	O
announced	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
one	O
being	O
released	O
in	O
July	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
is	O
already	O
available	O
on	O
more	O
than	O
1	O
billion	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
is	O
available	O
in	O
more	O
than	O
90	O
countries	O
and	O
in	O
over	O
30	O
languages	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
used	O
by	O
more	O
than	O
500	O
million	O
users	O
monthly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
was	O
unveiled	O
during	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
developer	B-Application
conference	I-Application
on	O
May	O
18	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
unveiling	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Home	O
smart	B-Device
speaker	I-Device
and	O
new	O
messaging	O
app	O
Allo	B-Protocol
;	O
Google	B-Application
CEO	O
Sundar	O
Pichai	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
Assistant	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
conversational	O
and	O
two-way	O
experience	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
an	O
ambient	O
experience	O
that	O
extends	O
across	O
devices	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
month	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
assigned	O
Google	B-Application
Doodle	O
leader	O
Ryan	O
Germick	O
and	O
hired	O
former	O
Pixar	O
animator	O
Emma	O
Coats	O
to	O
develop	O
"	O
a	O
little	O
more	O
of	O
a	O
personality	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
system-level	O
integration	O
outside	O
of	O
the	O
Allo	B-Protocol
app	I-Protocol
and	O
Google	B-Device
Home	I-Device
,	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
was	O
initially	O
exclusive	O
to	O
the	O
Pixel	O
and	O
Pixel	O
XL	O
smartphones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
begun	O
to	O
enable	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
Assistant	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
smartphones	O
running	O
Android	B-Application
Marshmallow	I-Application
or	O
Nougat	B-Application
,	O
beginning	O
in	O
select	O
English-speaking	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android	B-Application
tablets	O
did	O
not	O
receive	O
the	O
Assistant	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
this	O
rollout	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Assistant	O
is	O
also	O
integrated	O
in	O
Android	B-Application
Wear	I-Application
2.0	O
,	O
and	O
will	O
be	O
included	O
in	O
future	O
versions	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
TV	I-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
Auto	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2017	O
,	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Pixelbook	B-Device
became	O
the	O
first	O
laptop	O
to	O
include	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
later	O
came	O
to	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Pixel	B-Device
Buds	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
the	O
Assistant	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
phones	O
running	O
Android	B-Application
Lollipop	I-Application
through	O
an	O
update	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
tablets	O
running	O
6.0	O
Marshmallow	B-Application
and	O
7.0	O
Nougat	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2019	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
reportedly	O
began	O
testing	O
ads	O
in	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
results	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
15	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
Android	B-Application
Police	O
reported	O
that	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
would	O
be	O
coming	O
to	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
operating	O
system	O
as	O
a	O
separate	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
information	O
was	O
confirmed	O
two	O
days	O
later	O
at	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
developer	B-Application
conference	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2018	O
at	O
the	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
Assistant-powered	O
"	O
smart	B-Device
displays	I-Device
"	O
were	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Smart	B-Device
displays	I-Device
were	O
shown	O
at	O
the	O
event	O
from	O
Lenovo	O
,	O
Sony	O
,	O
JBL	O
and	O
LG	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
devices	O
have	O
support	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Duo	I-Application
video	O
calls	O
,	O
YouTube	O
videos	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
directions	O
,	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
Calendar	I-Application
agenda	O
,	O
viewing	O
of	O
smart	O
camera	O
footage	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
services	O
which	O
work	O
with	O
Google	B-Device
Home	I-Device
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
devices	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
Android	B-Device
Things	I-Device
and	O
Google-developed	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
unveiled	O
its	O
own	O
smart	B-Device
display	I-Device
,	O
Google	B-Device
Home	I-Device
Hub	I-Device
in	O
October	O
2018	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
Nest	B-Application
Hub	O
Max	O
,	O
which	O
utilizes	O
a	O
different	O
system	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2016	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
launched	O
"	O
Actions	B-General_Concept
on	I-General_Concept
Google	I-General_Concept
"	O
,	O
a	O
developer	O
platform	O
for	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actions	B-General_Concept
on	I-General_Concept
Google	I-General_Concept
allows	O
3rd	O
party	O
developers	O
to	O
build	O
apps	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
added	O
new	O
tools	O
for	O
developing	O
on	O
Actions	B-General_Concept
on	I-General_Concept
Google	I-General_Concept
to	O
support	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
games	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
limited	O
to	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Home	O
smart	B-Device
speaker	I-Device
,	O
Actions	B-General_Concept
on	I-General_Concept
Google	I-General_Concept
was	O
made	O
available	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
in	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
at	O
which	O
time	O
Google	B-Application
also	O
introduced	O
an	O
app	O
directory	O
or	O
application	B-Application
directory	I-Application
for	O
overview	O
of	O
compatible	O
products	O
and	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
incentivize	O
developers	O
to	O
build	O
Actions	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
competition	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
first	O
place	O
won	O
tickets	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
2018	O
developer	B-Application
conference	I-Application
,	O
$10	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
walk-through	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
campus	O
,	O
while	O
second	O
place	O
and	O
third	O
place	O
received	O
$	O
7,500	O
and	O
$5	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
respectively	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
Google	B-Device
Home	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
a	O
software	B-Application
development	I-Application
kit	I-Application
(	O
SDK	O
)	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
allowing	O
third-party	O
developers	O
to	O
build	O
their	O
own	O
hardware	O
that	O
can	O
run	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
been	O
integrated	O
into	O
Raspberry	B-Operating_System
Pi	I-Operating_System
,	O
cars	O
from	O
Audi	O
and	O
Volvo	O
,	O
and	O
smart	B-Device
home	I-Device
appliances	O
,	O
including	O
fridges	O
,	O
washers	O
,	O
and	O
ovens	O
,	O
from	O
companies	O
including	O
iRobot	O
,	O
LG	O
,	O
General	O
Electric	O
,	O
and	O
D-Link	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
updated	O
the	O
SDK	O
in	O
December	O
2017	O
to	O
add	O
several	O
features	O
that	O
only	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Home	O
smart	B-Device
speakers	I-Device
and	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
smartphone	O
apps	O
had	O
previously	O
supported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
2	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
new	O
program	O
that	O
focuses	O
on	O
investing	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
through	O
early-stage	O
startups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
launched	O
using	O
the	O
voice	O
of	O
Kiki	O
Baessell	O
for	O
the	O
American	O
female	O
voice	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
actress	O
for	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Voice	O
voicemail	O
system	O
since	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
11	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
Issa	O
Rae	O
had	O
been	O
added	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
as	O
an	O
optional	O
voice	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
enabled	O
by	O
the	O
user	O
by	O
saying	O
"	O
Okay	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
talk	O
like	O
Issa	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
,	O
as	O
of	O
April	O
2022	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
response	O
with	O
"	O
Sorry	O
,	O
that	O
voice	O
is	O
n't	O
available	O
anymore	O
,	O
but	O
you	O
can	O
try	O
out	O
another	O
by	O
asking	O
me	O
to	O
change	O
voices	O
"	O
,	O
if	O
the	O
command	O
is	O
given	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
,	O
in	O
the	O
nature	O
and	O
manner	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Now	I-Application
,	O
can	O
search	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
schedule	O
events	O
and	O
alarms	O
,	O
adjust	O
hardware	O
settings	O
on	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
device	O
,	O
and	O
show	O
information	O
from	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
Google	B-Application
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Google	B-Application
Now	I-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
Assistant	O
can	O
engage	O
in	O
a	O
two-way	O
conversation	O
,	O
using	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
natural	B-Language
language	I-Language
processing	I-Language
algorithm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
users	O
of	O
Google	B-Device
Home	I-Device
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
shop	O
entirely	O
by	O
voice	O
for	O
products	O
through	O
its	O
Google	B-Application
Express	I-Application
shopping	O
service	O
,	O
with	O
products	O
available	O
from	O
Whole	O
Foods	O
Market	O
,	O
Costco	O
,	O
Walgreens	O
,	O
PetSmart	O
,	O
and	O
Bed	O
Bath	O
&	O
Beyond	O
at	O
launch	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
retailers	O
added	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
months	O
as	O
new	O
partnerships	O
were	O
formed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
can	O
maintain	O
a	O
shopping	O
list	O
;	O
this	O
was	O
previously	O
done	O
within	O
the	O
notetaking	O
service	O
Google	B-Application
Keep	I-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
feature	O
was	O
moved	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Express	I-Application
and	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Home	O
app	O
in	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
a	O
severe	O
loss	O
of	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
the	O
Assistant	O
would	O
support	O
a	O
keyboard	O
for	O
typed	O
input	O
and	O
visual	O
responses	O
,	O
support	O
identifying	O
objects	O
and	O
gather	O
visual	O
information	O
through	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
camera	O
,	O
and	O
support	O
purchasing	O
products	O
and	O
sending	O
money	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
see	O
a	O
history	O
of	O
queries	O
made	O
to	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
,	O
and	O
edit	O
or	O
delete	O
previous	O
inputs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
activate	O
and	O
modify	O
vocal	O
shortcut	O
commands	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
perform	O
actions	O
on	O
their	O
device	O
(	O
both	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iPad/iPhone	O
)	O
or	O
configuring	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
hub	O
for	O
home	O
automation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
of	O
the	O
speech	B-Application
recognition	I-Application
is	O
available	O
in	O
English	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
languages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2018	O
,	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Home	O
version	O
of	O
Assistant	O
gained	O
support	O
for	O
multiple	O
actions	O
triggered	O
by	O
a	O
single	O
vocal	O
shortcut	O
command	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
annual	O
I/O	B-Application
developers	I-Application
conference	I-Application
on	O
May	O
8	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
SEO	O
announced	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
six	O
new	O
voice	O
options	O
for	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
which	O
being	O
John	O
Legend	O
's	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
John	O
Legend	O
's	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
cameo	O
voice	O
was	O
discontinued	O
on	O
March	O
23	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2018	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
added	O
bilingual	O
capabilities	O
to	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
for	O
existing	O
supported	O
languages	O
on	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recent	O
reports	O
say	O
that	O
it	O
may	O
support	O
multilingual	O
support	O
by	O
setting	O
a	O
third	O
default	O
language	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
Phone	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speech-to-Text	B-Application
can	O
recognize	O
commas	O
,	O
question	O
marks	O
,	O
and	O
periods	O
in	O
transcription	O
requests	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
12	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
rolled	O
out	O
its	O
interpreter	O
mode	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
smartphone	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Interpreter	O
mode	O
allows	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
to	O
translate	O
conversations	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
and	O
was	O
previously	O
only	O
available	O
on	O
Google	B-Device
Home	I-Device
smart	B-Device
speakers	I-Device
and	O
displays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
won	O
the	O
2020	O
Webby	O
Award	O
for	O
Best	O
User	O
Experience	O
in	O
the	O
category	O
:	O
Apps	O
,	O
Mobile	B-Application
&	O
Voice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
5	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
rolled	O
out	O
its	O
article-reading	O
feature	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
that	O
read	O
webpages	O
aloud	O
in	O
42	O
different	O
languages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
15	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
new	O
‘	O
hum	O
to	O
search	O
 '	O
function	O
to	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
song	O
by	O
simply	O
humming	O
,	O
whistling	O
or	O
singing	O
the	O
song	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
when	O
a	O
user	O
hums	O
a	O
melody	O
to	O
search	O
,	O
the	O
machine	O
learning	O
models	O
will	O
automatically	O
convert	O
the	O
audio	O
into	O
a	O
number-based	O
sequence	O
,	O
which	O
represents	O
the	O
song	O
's	O
melody	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
revealed	O
Duplex	B-Application
,	O
an	O
extension	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
that	O
allows	O
it	O
to	O
carry	O
out	O
natural	O
conversations	O
by	O
mimicking	O
human	O
voice	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
not	O
dissimilar	O
to	O
robocalling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Duplex	B-Application
can	O
complete	O
most	O
of	O
its	O
tasks	O
fully	O
autonomously	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
recognize	O
situations	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
unable	O
to	O
complete	O
and	O
can	O
signal	O
a	O
human	O
operator	O
to	O
finish	O
the	O
task	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Duplex	B-Application
was	O
created	O
to	O
speak	O
in	O
a	O
more	O
natural	B-Language
voice	I-Language
and	O
language	O
by	O
incorporating	O
speech	O
disfluencies	O
such	O
as	O
filler	O
words	O
like	O
"	O
hmm	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
uh	O
"	O
and	O
using	O
common	O
phrases	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
mhm	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
gotcha	O
"	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
more	O
human-like	O
intonation	O
and	O
response	O
latency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Duplex	B-Application
is	O
currently	O
in	O
development	O
and	O
had	O
a	O
limited	O
release	O
in	O
late	O
2018	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
Pixel	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
limited	O
release	O
,	O
Pixel	O
phone	O
users	O
in	O
Atlanta	O
,	O
New	O
York	O
,	O
Phoenix	O
,	O
and	O
San	O
Francisco	O
were	O
only	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
Duplex	B-Application
to	O
make	O
restaurant	O
reservations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
has	O
expanded	O
Duplex	B-Application
to	O
businesses	O
in	O
eight	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
announcement	O
,	O
concerns	O
were	O
made	O
over	O
the	O
ethical	O
and	O
societal	O
questions	O
that	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
technology	O
such	O
as	O
Duplex	B-Application
raises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
,	O
human	O
operators	O
may	O
not	O
notice	O
that	O
they	O
are	O
speaking	O
with	O
a	O
digital	O
robot	O
when	O
conversing	O
with	O
Duplex	B-Application
,	O
which	O
some	O
critics	O
view	O
as	O
unethical	O
or	O
deceitful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Concerns	O
over	O
privacy	O
were	O
also	O
identified	O
,	O
as	O
conversations	O
with	O
Duplex	B-Application
are	O
recorded	O
in	O
order	O
for	O
the	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
to	O
analyze	O
and	O
respond	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Privacy	O
advocates	O
have	O
also	O
raised	O
concerns	O
around	O
how	O
the	O
millions	O
of	O
vocal	O
samples	O
gathered	O
from	O
consumers	O
are	O
fed	O
back	O
into	O
the	O
algorithms	O
of	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistants	I-Protocol
,	O
making	O
these	O
forms	O
of	O
AI	B-Application
smarter	O
with	O
each	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
these	O
features	O
individualize	O
the	O
user	O
experience	O
,	O
critics	O
are	O
unsure	O
about	O
the	O
long	O
term	O
implications	O
of	O
giving	O
"	O
the	O
company	O
unprecedented	O
access	O
to	O
human	O
patterns	O
and	O
preferences	O
that	O
are	O
crucial	O
to	O
the	O
next	O
phase	O
of	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
transparency	O
was	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
a	O
key	O
part	O
to	O
the	O
experience	O
when	O
the	O
technology	O
was	O
revealed	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
later	O
further	O
clarified	O
in	O
a	O
statement	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
We	O
are	O
designing	O
this	O
feature	O
with	O
disclosure	O
built-in	O
,	O
and	O
we	O
'll	O
make	O
sure	O
the	O
system	O
is	O
appropriately	O
identified.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
further	O
added	O
that	O
,	O
in	O
certain	O
jurisdictions	O
,	O
the	O
assistant	O
would	O
inform	O
those	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
phone	O
that	O
the	O
call	O
is	O
being	O
recorded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
World	O
's	O
Mark	O
Hachman	O
gave	O
a	O
favorable	O
review	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Assistant	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
"	O
step	O
up	O
on	O
Cortana	B-Application
and	O
Siri.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	O
Trends	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
smarter	O
than	O
Google	B-Application
Now	I-Application
ever	O
was	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2019	O
Belgian	O
public	O
broadcaster	O
VRT	O
NWS	O
published	O
an	O
article	O
revealing	O
that	O
third-party	O
contractors	O
paid	O
to	O
transcribe	O
audio	O
clips	O
collected	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
listened	O
to	O
sensitive	O
information	O
about	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sensitive	O
data	O
collected	O
from	O
Google	B-Device
Home	I-Device
devices	O
and	O
Android	B-Application
phones	I-Application
included	O
names	O
,	O
addresses	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
private	O
conversations	O
after	O
mistaken	O
hotword	O
triggering	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
business	O
calls	O
or	O
bedroom	O
conversations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
more	O
than	O
1,000	O
recordings	O
analyzed	O
,	O
153	O
were	O
recorded	O
without	O
the	O
"	O
OK	B-Application
Google	I-Application
"	O
command	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
officially	O
acknowledged	O
that	O
0.2	O
%	O
of	O
recordings	O
are	O
being	O
listened	O
to	O
by	O
language	O
experts	O
to	O
improve	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
1	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
Germany	O
's	O
Hamburg	O
Commissioner	O
for	O
Data	O
Protection	O
and	O
Freedom	O
of	O
Information	O
initiated	O
an	O
administrative	O
procedure	O
to	O
prohibit	O
Google	B-Application
from	O
carrying	O
out	O
corresponding	O
evaluations	O
by	O
employees	O
or	O
third	O
parties	O
for	O
the	O
period	O
of	O
three	O
months	O
to	O
provisionally	O
protect	O
the	O
rights	O
of	O
privacy	O
of	O
data	O
subjects	O
for	O
the	O
time	O
being	O
,	O
citing	O
GDPR	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Google	B-Application
spokesperson	O
stated	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
paused	O
"	O
language	O
reviews	O
"	O
in	O
all	O
European	O
countries	O
while	O
it	O
investigated	O
recent	O
media	O
leaks	O
.	O
</s>
