By Ashwani Mishra, Editor-Technology, 63SATS
In a bold move to combat the growing scourge of phone scams, telecommunications giant O2 has enlisted an unlikely ally —an AI-powered “granny” named Daisy.
But don’t let her soft voice and tales of knitting fool you.
Daisy is here to take on fraudsters, armed with endless rambling stories and completely fictitious bank details.
Far from being a victim, Daisy is a meticulously crafted scam-baiter designed to waste scammers’ time and protect O2 customers from falling prey to fraud.
Scam Artist’s Worst Nightmare
As scammers increasingly leverage technology to outsmart their targets, Daisy showcases how AI can fight back.
While bad actors use AI to scale up their operations, Daisy’s autonomy flips the script, highlighting the potential of “Good AI” to protect the public.
Here’s how she does it:
Rambling Stories: Daisy weaves intricate tales about her family and knitting hobbies, keeping fraudsters intrigued.
Bogus Details: She offers completely fake bank information, giving scammers a false sense of success.
Endless Stamina: Unlike humans, Daisy never tires. She can hold scammers captive on the line for up to 40 minutes, disrupting their operations.
Daisy’s capabilities combine multiple AI models:
Listening and Response: She listens to scammers in real-time, transcribing their speech and generating appropriate responses through a custom language model.
Personality Layer: A “granny” persona adds charm and authenticity, fooling scammers into believing they’ve found an easy target.
Real-Time Voice Generation: A custom text-to-speech model delivers her responses in a warm, lifelike voice.
This blend of technologies allows Daisy to engage scammers autonomously, requiring no input from her creators.
A New Era in Fraud Prevention
O2’s creation of Daisy represents a shift in the fight against scams, proving that technology can be an ally in protecting vulnerable populations.
As scammers adapt their tactics, Daisy offers a timely reminder that the battle isn’t just about blocking calls—it’s about taking the fight directly to the fraudsters.
The AI granny may have a soft voice, but her message is loud and clear: “Not today, scammers!”
The Scourge of Phone Scams
Scam calls have become a daily nuisance for millions, with 67% of Brits expressing concern about becoming fraud victims. Research by Cifas, a leading fraud prevention service, revealed that over half of respondents (56%) have encountered scam attempts through phone channels.
O2 has also urged UK residents to forward suspicious calls and texts to 7726, a free fraud-reporting service.
Whether Daisy’s efforts evolve into an army of AI grannies or inspire more innovative approaches, one thing is clear: the fight against fraud is entering a new and fascinating.
