In an effort to fight phone scams, British mobile phone company O2 has introduced Daisy, an AI designed to engage phone con artists in time-wasting conversations. Daisy is portrayed as a kindly British granny, exploiting scammers’ tendency to target the elderly. Her voice, based on a real grandmother’s for authenticity, adds to her credibility in the role.
“O2” has distributed several dedicated phone numbers online to direct scammers to Daisy instead of actual customers. When Daisy receives a call, she translates the scammers’ spoken words into text and then responds to them accordingly through a text-to-speech system. Remarkably, Daisy has managed to keep numerous con artists on calls for up to 40 minutes, effectively keeping them occupied and away from potential victims.
為了打擊電話詐騙，英國電信業者O2 推出了黛西，這是一款人工智慧，設計來讓電話詐騙犯參與浪費時間的對話。黛西被塑造成一位親切和藹的英國奶奶，這是利用了詐騙犯傾向於針對老年人的情形。為求真實，黛西的聲音原型是一位真人奶奶的聲音，這增加了黛西在這個角色中的可信度。
Photo: AdobeStock 照片： AdobeStock
O2 在網路上散播了幾組黛西專用的電話號碼，將詐騙犯導向黛西，而不是他們真正的客戶。黛西接到電話時，她會將詐騙者所說的話轉成文本，接著透過文字轉語音的系統做出相應的回覆。驚人的是，黛西已經成功讓眾多詐騙犯持續通話長達四十分鐘，有效讓他們保持忙碌並遠離潛在的受害者。
What Did You Learn?
1. What is the reason behind Daisy’s image as a grandmother?
Photo: CNA 照片： 中央社
參考答案
1. To exploit scammers’ tendency to target the elderly.
Words in Use
1. portray vt. 描繪，描寫
be portrayed as... 被塑造∕刻劃∕描繪成……
The villain in the movie was portrayed as a tragic figure.
那部電影裡的壞人被刻劃成悲劇性的人物。
2. tendency n. 傾向
Evan has a tendency to speak his mind, even if it upsets others.
伊凡傾向於說出心裡的想法，就算會惹人生氣也一樣。
Practical Phrases
1. take down sb / take sb down
阻止某人造成傷害，擊敗某人
The team attempted to take down their biggest rival.
那支隊伍試圖擊敗他們最大的對手。
2. engage sb in... 使某人參與……
The teacher tried to engage the students in the discussion.
那位老師試著要讓學生們參與討論。
To be continued tomorrow（明日待續）
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聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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