AI granny of O2 scams the telephone scammers

What if we tell you there is a human-like AI chatbot designed to frustrate scammers and protect potential victims? Dubbed as the “AI Granny,” the impressive tool of O2 mimics the voice and personality of a sweet older woman who loves to chat—about her cat Fluffy, her passion for knitting, and whatever else can keep a scammer talking without realizing they’ve been outsmarted.

How the AI granny fight scammers?

dAIsy is more than just a quirky persona; it’s built on cutting-edge AI models that work together to hold real-time conversations. The process starts by transcribing the scammer’s voice into text. A custom language model, complete with a “granny-like” personality, generates appropriate responses. These are then converted into a natural-sounding voice via text-to-speech technology.

The result?

A completely autonomous scambaiter that can hold lifelike conversations, wasting scammers’ time while keeping real people safe.

dAIsy‘s mission is simple but impactful: Engage scammers for as long as possible to prevent them from targeting others. With scammers often running full-time call centers aimed at defrauding individuals, particularly the elderly, dAIsy flips the script.

It’s been reported to keep scammers tied up for as long as 40 minutes with meandering, lifelike conversations.

But this isn’t just about wasting time. By exposing the tactics scammers use—whether asking for bank details or impersonating trusted organizations—dAIsy serves as a wake-up call for the public.

The AI-powered scambaiting system used by O2’s “dAIsy” is a blend of advanced generative AI technologies.

1. Large language models (LLMs): These models form the foundation of dAIsy’s conversational abilities, equipping her with a deep understanding of scam scenarios and the ability to carry out lengthy, engaging conversations with scammers.
2. Voice synthesis: dAIsy’s voice was modeled after a real-life individual to sound authentic, helping her appear indistinguishable from a genuine elderly person.
3. Custom diffusion models:  Diffusion models were used to create a photorealistic visual representation for campaign purposes, while an image-to-video model helped animate her, making her interactions feel even more lifelike.

This system was designed to waste scammers’ time by keeping them engaged, thereby protecting real victims.

A serious problem, a creative solution

The urgency of such measures is evident in the numbers. According to the FBI, individuals over 60 in the U.S. lost nearly $3.4 billion to telephone scams in 2023, a figure expected to rise with the advent of advanced generative AI and voice impersonation.

O2’s research highlights the UK’s own fraud crisis:

• 69% of Brits report being targeted by scammers.
• 22% face fraud attempts weekly.

With fraud becoming more sophisticated, the stakes are higher than ever.

Thousands of senior citizens are targeted by scammers every year (Image credit) AI granny needs your help!

While dAIsy takes on scammers head-on, O2 encourages the public to help in the fight by:

1. STOP: Pause and think when faced with an unexpected call.
2. SEND: Forward suspicious calls or texts to 7726 (it spells “SPAM” on your keypad).
3. SPEAK OUT: Share your experiences to help others stay vigilant.

So next time you get a call from a scammer, rest assured—dAIsy might already be keeping their hands full!

Featured image credit: O2/YouTube