'AI Granny' is happy to talk with phone scammers all day

The UK's largest mobile network operator, O2, has launched a chatbot named "dAIsy" designed to deter phone scammers. The AI, which mimics an elderly woman with plenty of time to chat, aims to keep fraudsters engaged while they attempt to extract her (fake) bank details. The AI Granny uses various AI models to transcribe the caller's voice into text, generate a response, and then convert it back into speech. The AI was partially trained by Jim Browning, a renowned "scambait" expert with a large YouTube following.

The initiative is a response to the increasing number of telephone scams, particularly targeting the elderly. The FBI reported that people over the age of 60 lost $3.4 billion to telephone scams last year, an increase from $3.1 billion in 2022. With the rise of generative AI and voice impersonation, these figures are expected to increase significantly.

Key takeaways

The UK's largest mobile network operator, O2, has introduced a chatbot called 'dAIsy' designed to frustrate phone scammers.
The chatbot mimics an older woman with plenty of time to chat, with the aim of keeping fraudsters engaged as they try to obtain her (fake) bank details.
The AI was trained in part by Jim Browning, a 'scambait' expert with a large YouTube following.
Last year, the FBI reported that people over age 60 were swindled out of $3.4 billion via telephone scams, up from $3.1 billion in 2022.

'AI Granny' is happy to talk with phone scammers all day | TechCrunch

Key takeaways

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