Google announced a new experimental AI feature being made available to select users on Thursday. Dubbed “Ask for Me,” this AI agent will look up pricing and appointment availability for local businesses and automatically make reservations on your behalf — though it only works for nail salons and mechanics shops currently.
Accessible through the Google Search Labs, Ask for Me will initiate when users search for either nail salons or auto repair centers with Google Search. If, for example, you need a mechanic, the feature will pepper you with questions about the service you need, the make and model of your car, and your availability to bring it in for work, before reaching out to the shop. You’ll also need to enter your contact information (phone number and email, specifically) so the AI can keep you apprised of its efforts.
We’re testing right now with auto shops and nail salons, to see how AI can help you connect with businesses and get things done. pic.twitter.com/inf5hhj1BS
— Rose Yao (@dozenrose) January 30, 2025
According to the company, Ask for Me will then call the company and introduce itself as an automated system from Google contacting them on your account before setting up the appointment. I used to manage automotive shops — did so for nearly a decade — and can assure you that your mechanic is going to absolutely hate this system.
Luckily, businesses can opt out of the new feature by saying so when they receive such a call, or through their Google Business Page. Google also states that it will cap the number of times a business can be called using the feature over a given period, to help prevent malicious actors from misusing the service as a tool for harassment.
The new feature is built atop the older Duplex system for Pixel phones that Google initially trialed in 2018. At that time, Duplex was bathed in praise as “revolutionary” and “the beginning of something big” because it utilized AI (and sometimes humans) to call area restaurants to make reservations for their users. The company followed up with a similar Duplex on the Web feature in 2019 but shuttered it by 2022. The mobile version has since been incorporated into Google Assistant and is currently available in 49 U.S. states and 16 countries, though the appointment booking and wait time updates are only available in the U.S.
