Virtual Grannies Tackle Phone Scammers with A.I. Charm

O2 has rolled out Daisy Harris, an A.I. granny, who engages phone scammers with irrelevant chatter, aiming to divert their attention and reduce fraudulent calls. As scamming becomes more rampant, Daisy hopes to change the game by wasting scammers' time indefinitely.

In an innovative twist on combating phone fraud, British phone carrier O2 has launched Daisy Harris, an A.I.-generated grandmother who engages scammers in mundane, time-consuming conversations. Aiming to disrupt the ongoing surge in telephone scams, Daisy's character comes complete with a fondness for tea, biscuits, and her cat named Fluffy.

When a scammer calls, they’re greeted not with the stern resistance typical of anti-fraud measures, but rather with engaging banter and endless queries about her hobbies and daily life. For instance, a would-be scammer found themselves conversing about biscuits, with Daisy eagerly inviting them to share their favorite flavors. This unique approach allows her to keep scammers busy, minimizing their capacity to target genuine victims.

The development of Daisy was spearheaded by Morten Legarth alongside the innovative advertising agency VCCP in London. "These people can’t just talk to thousands of scammers," Legarth remarked. "But there’s an idea that A.I. can.” Indeed, the skyrocketing incidents of phone fraud, with tens of millions of scam calls proliferating globally each day, necessitate innovative solutions. A staggering $1 trillion was reported stolen last year due to various schemes relying on unsuspecting victims divulging personal information such as banking details and passwords.

Daisy represents not just an amusing application of A.I. technology, but a serious intervention against an alarming spike in criminal activity. As scammers continue to hone their tactics, the introduction of this friendly, computer-generated granny could mark a novel strategy in the relentless battle against phone fraud.