“So, where do we click?” Sigh at the end of the line. Explaining to grandma how to open her mailbox over the phone is always a bit of a pain, and requires patience. An experience that gave the telephone operator an idea British O2: what if we used fake grandmothers to waste the time of phone scammers?
On November 14, the operator unveiled its “Daisy” program, an innovative generative artificial intelligence playing the role of the chatty grandmother on the other end of the line. In a video presentation, the operator shows Daisy in action, speaking in a slow, monotone voice, repeating the caller’s instructions or explaining that she “just wants a bit of conversation”. The aim: to keep the swindler online as long as possible so that he doesn’t target real people.
Scammers held for over 40 minutes
“While they’re busy talking to me, they can’t scam you,” slips the virtual grandmother in a mischievous tone. According to O2, Daisy has already held off scammers for over 40 minutes. And the great thing about this AI is that it can hold off many scammers at the same time.
To make them fall into the trap, O2 explained to our France Info colleagues put Daisy’s phone number deliberately on “mug lists”, online lists collected by scammers. The operator also offers a number for reporting attempted scams, thus ensuring that Daisy is also in the path of the unknown numbers harassing subscribers.