O2 Introduces Elderly AI Granny Designed to Foil Scammers by VCCP
VCCP's AI Agency Unveils Daisy, O2's New Head of Scammer Relations
In an attempt to combat phone scams, O2 has appointed Daisy, an AI-powered character developed by VCCP's AI agency Faith. Created to field calls from suspected fraudsters, Daisy engages scammers in lengthy conversations to protect real customers.
Daisy, named after the creator's late grandmother, was developed to exploit the criminals’ stereotypical perceptions of the elderly as vulnerable prey. According to Ben Hopkins, joint creative director at Faith, the concept aimed to blend human ingenuity with AI precision, as teased in March.
The AI character, designed to frustrate and confuse scammers, uses a variety of tactics, including number seeding and accessing numbers sent to 7726 from O2. Daisy is a fusion of different AI tools and services, trained on anonymized call data, techniques, and scam formats used by phone scammers.
In an interview, Hopkins and his creative partner Morten Legarth discuss the creation of Daisy and the impact of the viral campaign. They explain how Daisy's appeal tapped into collective frustration with fraudsters while balancing humor to make the content entertaining without sacrificing a crucial message about reporting scams.
Hopkins recalls the moment Daisy interacted with a real scammer, describing it as surreal. The team captured memorable conversations between Daisy and scammers, using them to educate the public about scam tactics and entertain viewers.
Relying on AI technology to take multiple calls simultaneously, run 24/7 if needed, and improvise endlessly, Daisy demonstrates the potential of AI in advertising and communication, according to the creative partners. They emphasize the value of using AI as a tool to supercharge human ability, providing new tools for tasks previously unimaginable.
When asked about the public's evolving perception of AI, Legarth suggests a shift from viewing AI as a tool of fear to one of fascination and even affection. As more people embrace positive uses of AI, such as Daisy, the fear may gradually give way to optimism and excitement about the technology's potential.
Regarding Faith's next big project, the partners remain tight-lipped, revealing only that they've gained interest from clients who recognize the potential of AI. The partners'previous projects include collaborating with Virgin Media O2 on multiple AI solutions and the development of the Bernadette tool, My Cadbury Era.
While the details of Faith's future projects are yet to be revealed, one thing is certain: the AI agency continues to push the boundaries of AI-powered advertising and communication, captivating audiences with innovative and engaging solutions.
- The viral campaign featuring Daisy, an AI character developed by VCCP's AI agency Faith, showcases the potential of technology in advertising, as it uses AI precision to frustrate and confuse phone scammers.
- As more people increasingly recognize the positive uses of AI, like Daisy in combating phone scams, there's a growing shift from fearing AI to viewing it as a tool of fascination and even affection, indicating a promising future for AI-powered media.
