The Pixel Phone app might let you respond with AI replies to calls soon

What you need to know

• The Phone app might soon use Google’s Gemini AI to create dynamic, context-aware replies, making call screening more personalized.
• Internally, Call Screen is known as "dobby," but with the addition of "dobby_AI" and "dobby_LLM," AI-generated responses are on the way.
• The AI Replies feature will use Gemini Nano for smarter responses, so it could be exclusive to Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 9 due to their AI capabilities.

Google has been spotted cooking up an "AI Replies" feature for Pixel’s Call Screen, offering smarter, more relevant responses than the current basic options.

9to5Google recently discovered that the Phone app will soon use Google’s Gemini AI to create dynamic, context-aware responses for incoming calls, making call screening smarter and more personalized.

The Call Screen feature is currently labeled "dobby" internally, but with the recent appearance of "dobby_AI" and "dobby_LLM" in the code, it looks like Google is ready to integrate an AI model to power AI-generated responses.

Android 12 introduced the call-screening feature that lets you filter calls and have Google Assistant handle the first chat. It plays an auto-message, grabs the caller's reply, and transcribes it, so you can decide whether to answer or just text back.

Last December, Google introduced "contextual replies," which personalize audio responses based on the call's context. The new upgrade is likely to make those replies more dynamic and detailed. You’ll still have the option to select from preset responses on screen rather than typing one out.

Apparently, Google’s upcoming AI Replies feature will tap into the power of Gemini Nano to offer smarter response suggestions. This could mean that to make the most of Gemini Nano, the feature will be exclusive to Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 9 devices, which have the AI processing power needed.

Though the full capabilities of AI Replies aren’t fully revealed yet, the AI integration is set to greatly improve its ability to understand caller intent and offer more relevant response options.

AI Replies could totally shake up how we deal with calls. Imagine letting AI handle the awkward conversations, saving you time, and keeping your day from getting interrupted by every random call. This could be what Google had in mind when it talked about “multi-step, multi-turn conversational AI” last year.