MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Alphabet Inc.’s Google business on May 7 offered a preview of voice technology that lets users make rental car bookings with just a simple ask of the company’s virtual assistant tool.
The capability, which Google demonstrated with National Car Rental’s website, builds on the company’s push over the last two years to integrate more artificial intelligence-fueled features into its virtual helper, Google Assistant.
It also works with movie ticket bookings and aims to free users from manually filling out forms on websites, Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said on stage at Google I/O, an annual event held near the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, California.
The event attracts about 7,000 software developers who create apps for Google Assistant or other company platforms.
Google also unveiled augmented reality technology that enables users to view renderings of some specialized visual search results, such as a model of a whale, through their smartphone cameras.
Google said it was working with companies such as New Balance, Target Corp., Samsung, and Volvo to make 3D models of their products available in mobile search.
Google on May 7 planned to reveal updates to its Android mobile operating system, its biggest platform. Also expected were a new model of its Pixel smartphone, Home smart speaker and some augmented reality features for apps such as Google Maps.
The car booking feature will be available later this year on Android phones in the United States and the United Kingdom, Google said.
Alphabet shares were down 1.7 percent to $1,172.35 per share on May 7.
The shares have fallen from an all-time high of $1,296.98 since the company reported quarterly sales last month that were $1 billion below expectations.
With revenue growth slowing and costs largely growing, some investors are anxious to see whether Google can commercialize its newest ventures in artificial intelligence, including the assistant.
The company is trying to fend off growing regulatory efforts that threaten its business model. Lawmakers in several regions, including in the United States, United Kingdom, and Singapore, are weighing privacy and data rules that could limit how Google tracks consumers and distributes information.
On May 7, Google said it would bring “incognito mode,” which stops the company’s tracking of users, to Google Maps soon and to Google search later this year.
