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An artificial intelligence grannybot is fighting scammers by keeping them talking. Digital scams are common, but elderly citizens are particularly at risk of phone scams.
“Daisy” is an AI with the voice of a grandmother, developed for a British telecoms company: Using technology similar to ChatGPT Voice, it keeps fraudsters on the phone to “waste as much of their time as possible,” telling meandering stories about her family and handing out fake personal information. It has kept frustrated scammers on the phone for up to 40 minutes, and shows that like any new technology, AI is dual-use: While it will make scamming easier, it can provide tools for fighting it, too.
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Financial fraud is increasing worldwide as the public embraces new technologies that scammers can exploit: According to one global estimate, online fraudsters have stolen more than $1 trillion from victims in the past 12 months. .
The use of AI and cryptocurrencies has resulted in “sophisticated and professional fraud campaigns without the need for advanced technical skills, and at relatively little cost,” a 2024 INTERPOL report stated.
“Daisy” was built to raise awareness of the UK’s “fraud epidemic”; last year, the British phone company that created the bot intercepted and blocked $315 million in suspected fraudulent transactions — the equivalent of stopping one every two minutes, Metro.co.uk reported.