Google has unveiled a new AI Mode agent designed to take on basic service tasks, starting with restaurant reservations.
The feature, currently locked behind the $250-per-month Google AI Ultra subscription, plugs into the company’s AI Mode for Search, which transforms the traditional results page into a Gemini-powered assistant.
For now, the agent’s functionality is limited. It can check live restaurant availability and link customers directly to booking platforms like OpenTable, Resy, and Tock.
However, future capabilities have already been mentioned, with Google planning integrations for local service appointments and event tickets via Ticketmaster, StubHub, SeatGeek, and Booksy.
This points to a much broader ambition: creating AI-powered ‘machine customers’ that can handle service interactions independently on behalf of humans.
The Machine-to-Machine Future
The idea of machine-to-machine customer service isn’t entirely new.
Google has been experimenting with customer-facing AI for years – from Duplex making dinner reservations in 2022, to its more recent ‘Ask for Me’ feature, which dials businesses for users.
Yet, as analysts recently discussed on The Big CX News Show, these latest moves feel less like a revolution and more like an incremental step.
"There are lots of challenges when it comes to authentication and identification," said Derek Top, Senior Analyst at Opus Research.
What if your assistant makes the wrong decision or orders something you didn’t want? What are the ramifications around that?
Whilst Top has his reservations, others are cautiously optimistic.
Finbarr Begley, Senior Research Analyst at Cavell Group, highlighted how machine customers could help users bypass lengthy customer service interactions.
"The moment I can talk to my phone and get it to fill out a request at my bank to cancel a standing order, rather than going through customer service myself, we’re kind of winning," he said.
The potential is clear: AI agents that talk directly to other systems and businesses, taking humans out of the process.
For time-consuming but simple tasks – from rescheduling a delivery to updating an account detail – machine-to-machine customer service could dramatically reduce friction.
Google’s Balancing Act
Despite the promise, some question whether Google can lead the way.
Indeed, according to Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst at ZK Research, the company has an unfortunate history of proving concepts that rivals later perfect.
