Daisy, an AI-powered virtual grandmother developed by Virgin Media’s O2, is revolutionizing phone scam prevention by wasting scammers’ time while protecting potential victims. Designed to mimic a polite, slightly forgetful elderly woman, Daisy engages scammers in long-winded conversations, effectively neutralizing their schemes. Her advanced natural language processing and humor-filled demeanor turn the tables on those who prey on the vulnerable, particularly older adults.
As noticed by Forbes, in an instance Daisy was able to keep the scammer on the line for over an hour, steering the conversation into tangents about her cats, family stories, and repeated questions. By the end, the scammer was audibly frustrated, realizing they had been outmaneuvered by an AI. This approach not only wastes scammers’ time but also disrupts their efficiency, reducing the number of potential victims they can target.
Developed in collaboration with scam-hunting expert Jim Browning, Daisy’s key features include:
- Realistic Conversations: Advanced AI enables Daisy to respond convincingly to scammers’ scripts.
- Scripted Detours: She redirects calls into humorous anecdotes and requests for repetition, keeping scammers engaged.
- Unshakable Calm: Daisy’s polite demeanor neutralizes fear-driven tactics often used by scammers.
Phone scams, which often exploit fear and confusion, disproportionately target older adults. Daisy’s calm persistence derails these tactics, turning each call into a dead end for scammers. While her efforts may not solve fraud entirely, they represent a step forward in leveraging technology to fight scams.
Daisy’s success showcases the potential of AI in fraud prevention, delivering both justice and satisfaction to those affected by scams. By offering scammers a maddening but fruitless encounter, Daisy highlights how technology can protect the vulnerable and strike back against fraudulent operations.
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