Meet the AI grandma who is turning the tables on scammers

In a world where scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, an unexpected hero—an AI-powered grandma—is flipping the script and outsmarting fraudsters at their own game.

Meet Daisy, the human-like artificial intelligence who answers scam calls, keeping fraudsters on the line with long drawn out conversations that help prevent others falling victim.

Daisy, created by O2, was built using cutting-edge technology that combines several AI models to listen to a caller, transcribe their voice into text, and generate an appropriate response through a custom large language model with a unique ‘personality’ layer. This response is then delivered in real time through a custom AI text-to-speech model, enabling Daisy to hold lifelike conversations with scammers.

Indistinguishable from a real person, Daisy can interact with fraudsters autonomously, with no input from her creators. O2 has put her to work around the clock, answering scam calls and keeping fraudsters tied up.

Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2, said, “Daisy, is turning the tables on scammers – outsmarting and outmanoeuvring them at their own cruel game simply by keeping them on the line.”

“We’re committed to playing our part in stopping the scammers, investing in everything from firewall technology to block out scam texts to AI-powered spam call detection to keep our customers safe,” McKenzie said.

“But crucially, Daisy is also a reminder that no matter how persuasive someone on the other end of the phone may be, they aren’t always who you think they are.”

While Daisy does her bit to stop scammers in their tracks, there is plenty you can do to protect yourself as well.

The National Anti-Scam Centre recommends the following precautionary measures for those looking to stay one step ahead of scammers and protect their personal information.

STOP – Don’t give money or personal or financial information like passwords, security codes, PINs or tokens. Don’t click on any links if you’re unsure. Say no, hang up, delete.

CHECK – Verify who you are talking to. Contact your bank using your banking app or a phone number you have sourced from your banking app, bank website, statement, or card.

PROTECT – Act quickly. If you have transferred funds, provided access to your account or information to a scammer, contact your bank immediately and report to Scamwatch. Tell your friends and family; it helps to share your experience so they can give you support and to help them stay safe from scams.