Daisy Harris, the new A.I.-generated grandmother, is swiftly becoming the bane of phone scammers everywhere. Designed by the British telecom giant O2, Daisy’s main purpose is to engage, distract, and waste the time of would-be fraudsters who prey on vulnerable individuals. With her charmingly scattered personality and penchant for confounding conversations about knitting and tea, Daisy aims to serve as both camouflage and deterrent for those dubious calls flooding homes across the nation.
Launched this month, Daisy’s creation stems from the unsettling rise of phone scams over the past years. According to data from the phone security company Hiya, the volume of scam calls drastically increased, with tens of millions occurring daily last year. Meanwhile, losses attributed to scam operations exceeded $1 trillion, leaving many victims devastated as they unwittingly revealed sensitive information like bank details and passwords. Previous studies reveal shocking statistics: nearly 40 percent of individuals over the age of 75 reported receiving scam calls at least monthly, if not more frequently. Clearly, older adults often find themselves targeted by these schemes.
Daisy's developers, along with the VCCP advertising agency based in London, took considerable inspiration from family interactions, particularly from grandmothers. “I drew a lot from my gran,” said one team member, Ben Hopkins, underlining how real-life experiences shaped the character of Daisy. The idea was to craft her persona, aiming for authenticity—complete with minor technological confusions typical of many older adults. The development process included recording hours of dialogue, with the voice derived from one of their colleague's grandmothers.
The A.I. blends comedy with purpose; instead of reaching for straightforward tactics, Daisy leverages her unique programming to engage scammers with odd questions like, “Do you like biscuits, Peter?” Her developers hope this meandering charm will leave scammers frustrated. Rather than methodically honing in on their schemes, Daisy employs techniques well-established by experienced scambaiters—individuals who take it upon themselves to waste the time of scammers. These individuals have long utilized similar strategies to engage with con artists, hampering their operations. Yet Daisy amps up those tactics significantly, as she operates without fatigue, unlike human scambaiters.
Despite her cleverness, some experts caution against overestimations of Daisy’s impact. Elisabeth Carter, criminologist and forensic linguist at Kingston University London, highlighted the sheer volume of scam calls, claiming Daisy’s antics may only act as minor obstacles rather than serious deterrents. More worrying is the question of accessibility: customers can’t simply forward suspicious calls to her; Daisy handles only specific numbers out of billions. The consensus remains clear: the best course of action remains hanging up and reporting any suspicious calls.
Nonetheless, the O2 initiative shines as part of broader efforts to curb the rising tide of deceit on the phone. The concept of utilizing A.I. to engage with scammers opens up fascinating questions on technological interventions against fraud. Daisy, for all her quirks, might well be described as the peak of those innovations—a friendly grandmother figure standing firmly against the tide of deception. Her mere presence could signify hope for some semblance of safety, particularly for more vulnerable demographics. And even if she’s just one tool among many, feeling like someone is on their side—albeit virtually—could make all the difference.
At the end of the day, Daisy stands as both tool and experiment. Can A.I. truly be our ally, even against the rampant battleground of phone scammers? Only time and the success of initiatives like this will tell. Meanwhile, as Daisy takes on the scammers of the world, observers await eagerly, measuring her success, albeit with tempered expectations of what she might accomplish. But for now, Daisy Harris has come out swinging, proudly carrying the banner of the grandmothers everywhere who long to distract the greedy as they flock to prey on the unsuspecting.
