British mobile phone company O2 has unveiled a new creation, Daisy, a chatty artificial intelligence “granny” designed to talk to scammers and keep them away from real people. Daisy, who loves to talk about her kitten Fluffy, engages phone scammers in lengthy conversations, turning the tables on them and wasting their time. “Hello, scammers.
I’m your worst nightmare,” Daisy introduces herself to the would-be con artists. In a campaign featuring former Love Island contestant and scam victim Amy Hart, scammers are heard sharing much of the same frustrations they inflict on their victims, as Daisy effortlessly chats about her life and ignores their instructions. “I think your profession is bothering people, right?” one scammer laments after being led on for nearly an hour.
“While they’re busy talking to me, they can’t be scamming you.
AI granny thwarts phone scammers
And let’s face it, dear, I’ve got all the time in the world,” Daisy says during her calls.
O2, the company behind the scam-baiting granny, explained that the AI technology can keep scammers on the phone for up to 40 minutes. Daisy was developed with the help of a YouTuber and software engineer known for exposing scammers to his 4.4 million subscribers. To bait scammers into these time-wasting calls, O2 used a technique known as “number seeding,” placing Daisy’s phone number on lists commonly used by scammers to find their targets.
The initiative aims to both protect real people from scammers and raise awareness about the dangers of phone hoaxes. “We’re committed to playing our part in stopping the scammers, investing in everything from firewall technology to block out scam texts to AI-powered spam call detection to keep our customers safe,” said Murray Mackenzie, O2’s director of fraud. “But crucially, Daisy is also a reminder that no matter how persuasive someone on the other end of the phone may be, they aren’t always who you think they are.”
With Daisy, O2 hopes to make a significant impact in the fight against phone scammer activities, protecting vulnerable individuals from financial and emotional harm.
Noah Nguyen is a multi-talented developer who brings a unique perspective to his craft. Initially a creative writing professor, he turned to Dev work for the ability to work remotely. He now lives in Seattle, spending time hiking and drinking craft beer with his fiancee.
