Google Rolls Out Call Screening AI To Thwart Phone Fraudsters (googleblog.com) 36
Google is rolling out AI-powered scam call detection for Android phones, aiming to protect users from increasingly sophisticated phone fraud schemes. The new feature, available in beta for Pixel 6 and newer devices, analyzes conversation patterns in real-time to identify potential scams. When suspicious patterns emerge, such as urgently requesting fund transfers, the system alerts users through audio, haptic, and visual warnings.
The detection system operates entirely on-device using Google's machine learning models, with no call audio or transcripts stored or transmitted externally. While Pixel 9 devices utilize Google's advanced Gemini Nano AI model, earlier Pixel phones use the standard machine learning for detection, the company said. The feature, which is opt-in and can be disabled at any time, is currently limited to English-speaking Phone by Google beta users in the United States. Google plans to expand availability to additional Android devices in the future.
The detection system operates entirely on-device using Google's machine learning models, with no call audio or transcripts stored or transmitted externally. While Pixel 9 devices utilize Google's advanced Gemini Nano AI model, earlier Pixel phones use the standard machine learning for detection, the company said. The feature, which is opt-in and can be disabled at any time, is currently limited to English-speaking Phone by Google beta users in the United States. Google plans to expand availability to additional Android devices in the future.
you can't fool me, it's bots all the way down (Score:3)
then there were the scambots
now Android has anti-scambots
pretty soon, the scammers will have anti-anti-scambots
ad infinitum.
FIRST POST!
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Haan! I don't know if the mouse ever chases the cat. Except for if you are referring to Tom & Jerry.
your call is important to us (Score:2)
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Whether you believe this or not is up to you, but it's what they're saying.
Presumably the idea is to make Android and Pixel phones more desirable.
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> Whether you believe this or not is up to you, but it's what
they're saying.
Look at the evolution of every other google product and tell me if you believe this.
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Sued how? You signed the EULA that says they can change the terms at any time. Oh, I get it you think the billionaires we put in charge of all branches of government are going to care about people who can't be bothered to read the EULA?
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No, it's called "telemetry". It's cute and cuddly. It's harmless. Quietly sits on the lap of every Google product like a good boy.
Re:stopping scams is only step one (Score:4, Insightful)
Hard pass. (Score:2)
EOM
I can see the future headlines (Score:1)
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Trump won, all that shit is going by the wayside, it won't get canceled.
Racism and sexism are back, baby!
Re:I can see the future headlines (Score:4, Informative)
I think a more likely future headline is:
Google admits its AI call screening "inadvertently" sent transcripts and personally identifiable information back to Google servers.
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Not call screening (Score:4, Insightful)
"Call screening" would imply that the AI determines if the caller is a scammer before you answer the call. What TFS describes is call monitoring, with a robotic big brother looking over your shoulder. There's a lot of potential for misuse here, for example, tweaking the algorithm to be triggered by political topics, so it throws a warning when canvassers ask for legitimate political donations.
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"legitimate political donations" - those words do not belong together.
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Maybe for you, but I remember a time when "screening" a call meant letting it go to your answering machine (!!) and listening to the message the caller records to decide if I should pick up the phone or not. I have a similar feature on my Android phone, except it uses Google text-to-speech to read out the boilerplate "This person is using a screening service from Google, and will get a recording and transcript of this call...", then each option I tap, and anything the caller says is translated into text and
AI not needed (Score:2)
This sounds like a scam for google to listen in on your conversations which, at its most innocent, would blurt out an ad when you start talking about some topic or need.
Imagine you're having a call and say "nice chatting, gotta go .. it's raining" .. Google will interrupt and interject the following "did you know you can get a great deal on an umbrella for 20% off if you just say the word buy?"
Simpler solution (Score:2)
1. Just allow us to ban VOIP-routed calls entirely (it's easy, there's a known set of phone numbers .. and numbers that aren't on the list can quickly be found out and shared anyway). .. make it (at least by default) impossible to get an invite to a group chat by someone who isn't on your contact list.
2. In the case of scams from WhatsApp and services like that
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"Entirely on-device" (Score:2)
Yeah, right.
Battery vampire! (Score:2)
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They're actually quite a nice pocket warmer. Except that the battery also drains accordingly. They barely last a day.
So what are you complaining about? Those chemical hand warmers only last a couple hours at best!
No, don't bother me (Score:2)
Yeeesss... I'll let Google listen in on my calls (Score:2)
I'll take my chances with the scammers. They're much less dangerous.
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What my bank does (Score:3)
I suspect this is to move responsibility to fraud to the victim. Because 98% of the time, either your bank will tell you that this request for money is very, very suspicious, or the scammer tells you to tell the bank lies, Either way, your own fault.
Trivial (Score:2)
Detecting a scam during a call is super easy. If it starts with someone with an Indian accent saying:
"Hello. My name is . How are you?", then you can be sure it's a scam.
Detecting before answering is much harder.