This AI imitates a grandmother's voice to drive scammers crazy 📞

With her gentle voice and quirky anecdotes, Daisy doesn't seem like a formidable weapon. Yet, this AI, designed to imitate a chatty grandmother, gives phone scammers a hard time, turning their strategy into a trap against themselves.


Phone scams mostly target seniors, who are considered easy prey. Taking advantage of the limited skepticism and loneliness of some elderly people, fraudsters attempt to extract sensitive information from them. Virgin Media O2, a UK-based telecom operator, has decided to fight back with an unusual tool: Daisy.

Daisy works by listening to fraudulent calls, transcribing the scammers' words, and generating appropriate responses. These responses, delivered via voice synthesis, mimic human spontaneity and even include emotional touches. The goal? To keep scammers busy long enough to reduce their efficiency.

The choice to simulate a grandmother is no coincidence. Elderly people are among the primary victims of this type of fraud, making up 40% of reported cases in the USA according to the FBI. Daisy's friendly voice and endearing personality exploit the biases of scammers, convinced they've found the ideal victim.

Developed using several AI models, Daisy is built on cutting-edge technology. It combines speech recognition, natural language processing, and voice synthesis, enabling fluid and credible interactions. These innovations are bolstered by the expertise of Jim Browning, a well-known "scam hunter."


Daisy's effectiveness is evident: some scammers have spent over 40 minutes trying to manipulate this "grandmother," often ending in frustration. By recording these calls, Virgin Media O2 can also study the scammers' techniques to better educate the public.

Additionally, the operator's customers are encouraged to report suspicious calls so Daisy can be engaged. For now, Daisy is not available to the general public. Her mission remains exclusively dedicated to combating scams. However, Virgin Media O2 aims to raise awareness among consumers, encouraging them to stay vigilant against suspicious calls and messages.

With Daisy, phone scams are no longer inevitable. AI not only protects users, but it also exposes scammers' weaknesses, marking another step forward in the fight against these insidious practices.

How does an AI like Daisy work?

The AI Daisy relies on a range of advanced technologies designed to interact in real time with phone scammers. These combined systems allow Daisy to convincingly simulate a human conversation.

First, Daisy captures the scammers' words and converts them into text using a speech recognition system. This ensures an accurate transcription of the exchange, which is crucial for generating appropriate responses.

Next, a language model analyzes the transcribed data to create a coherent reply. This model is trained to produce believable statements, sometimes enriched with anecdotes or simulated emotions.

Finally, a text-to-speech module transforms the generated text into voice. This system gives Daisy a warm, realistic tone, enhancing the illusion of a human conversation, even during prolonged interactions.