AI-enabled phone scams hit their marks

Many people have received at least one call with a voice saying,"Hi, this is your smartphone game consultant. Do you want to download our game at a discounted price?" And quite a few may not have realized that the voice at the other end is often not a real person's, but an AI program.

According to Beijing Daily, many enterprises purchase AI software that can automatically dial numbers, engage unsuspecting people in conversation, answer their queries and lure them into buying their games or services. In one instance, an AI-assisted voice spoke to someone for about half an hour without the person suspecting anything untoward.

Some tech companies sell AI software online, saying it "works 24 hours a day, and can make a huge number of calls". With the help of high-tech, the caller's number stays masked and if a call recipient manages to block the call, the AI can still call the person using another number.

AI may be good technology, but in this manner it violates smartphone users' rights. People buy a smartphone to make life easier, not for suspicious companies to hound them to promote their products or services.

Earlier, telecom fraudsters had to make umpteen random calls before finding a potential victim. But AI has made their job easier. Those developing AI-based phone call software are thus inadvertently helping the fraudsters carry out their illegal activities.

In order to curb this, government departments must more strictly enforce the law. They should find out how such companies get hold of users' names and phone numbers in the first place.

Some illegal chains are known to sell users' personal information, and the police must crack down on them.

The telecom companies, too, must take measures to stop companies and individuals from fooling people using AI to make profits.