O2 Develops 78-Year-Old Grandmother AI
‘Scambaiting’ Strategy Uses Virtual Number to Outsmart Scammers
In the United Kingdom, an artificial intelligence (AI) grandmother who confronts scammers has attracted attention as a new measure to reduce losses from voice phishing (telephone financial fraud).
On January 3, Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun and others reported that British telecommunications company Virgin Media O2 has developed an AI chatbot named 'Daisy,' designed as a 78-year-old grandmother, to prevent voice phishing crimes.
Daisy was created by applying the latest large language model (LLM) technology with voice synthesis. She has the ability to listen to the other party in real time and converse naturally, just like a human. Since her release in November 2024, Daisy has been fulfilling the role of keeping scammers on the phone for as long as possible, causing them to waste their time.
O2 secretly included Daisy's phone number in the lists of potential scam victims that are illegally traded among voice phishing organizations. Unaware of this, criminals call Daisy, mistakenly believing she is an easily deceived elderly person living alone. Whenever asked for bank account numbers or personal information, Daisy deliberately tells irrelevant stories or pretends not to understand, effectively delaying the conversation.
The Asahi Shimbun also introduced examples of Daisy's actual phone calls. When a scammer tried to persuade her to install an app, Daisy suddenly shifted the topic to bread or knitting, and when the increasingly frustrated criminal became irritated, she calmly responded, "You know, people get more talkative as they get older."
According to O2, over the past year, more than 1,000 scammers have spoken with Daisy, and some have wasted over 50 minutes on the call. This approach is known as 'scambaiting,' and it reduces the time scammers have to target real victims while they are occupied speaking with the AI.
However, O2 emphasized that while AI can waste scammers' time, individual vigilance remains the most important factor in preventing voice phishing. "The best response is to immediately hang up and report any suspicious calls," the company stressed.
Meanwhile, in recognition of these efforts, O2 received the 'Best Use of AI' award at the UK Marketing Awards last year.
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