The voice-based AI, known as Daisy or "dAIsy," impersonates a senior citizen to engage in meandering
conversation with phone scammers.
Despite its flaws, such as urging people to eat deadly mushrooms, AI can sometimes be utilised for good. O2, the UK's largest mobile network operator, has implemented a voice-based AI chatbot to trick phone scammers into long, useless talks. Daisy, often known as "dAIsy," is a chatbot that mimics the voice of an elderly person, the most typical target for phone scammers.
Daisy's goal is to automate "scambaiting," which is the technique of deliberately wasting phone fraudsters' time in order to keep them away from potential real victims for as long as possible. Scammers employ social engineering to abuse the elderly's naivety, convincing them, for example, that they owe back taxes and would be arrested if they fail to make payments immediately.
When a fraudster gets Daisy on the phone, they're in for a long chat that won't lead anywhere. If they get to the point when the fraudster requests private data, such as bank account information, Daisy will fabricate it. O2 claims that it is able to contact fraudsters in the first place by adding Daisy's phone number to "easy target" lists that scammers use for leads.
Of course, the risk with a chatbot like Daisy is that the same technology can be used for opposite ends—we've already seen cases where real people, such as CEOs of major companies, had their voices deepfaked in order to deceive others into giving money to a fraudster. Senior citizens are already exposed enough. If they receive a call from someone who sounds like a grandchild, they will very certainly believe it is genuine.
Finally, preventing fraudulent calls and shutting down the groups orchestrating these frauds would be the best answer. Carriers have enhanced their ability to detect and block scammers' phone numbers, but it remains a cat-and-mouse game. Scammers use automated dialling systems, which allow them to phone numbers quickly and only alert them when they receive an answer. An AI bot that frustrates fraudsters by responding and wasting their time is preferable to nothing.
