AT&T has announced a new opt-in AI-powered "digital receptionist" that it says will help protect customers from "spam and fraud," an agent the company says is now being tested with select customers throughout the year.
This AI tool, AT&T claims, is trained on "years of data and knowledge" about how spammers operate, essentially using its massive dataset of fraud attempts to teach the AI what to look for.
Here"s how it works: When you get an incoming call from an unknown number, the agent answers for you. It uses multiple large language models (LLMs) to process what the caller is saying and generate a natural-sounding response. The AI agent will ask questions like "Who may I say is calling?" and "What is this in regard to?".
It determines if the caller is human and what the call"s purpose is. And if they refuse to identify themselves or the AI recognizes fraud patterns, it will end the call or take a message.
The "digital receptionist" may remind you of Google"s Call Screen on Pixel devices, which works by having the Google Assistant intercept calls from unknown numbers. That feature, however, runs locally on your device.
According to AT&T, a big difference with its product is that it is built into the network itself. This means it requires no "cumbersome" downloads and promises not to drain your battery. Because it is network-based, it could still function even if your phone has no cellular service.
Just like with Google Call Screen, you get to see a live transcript of the AI"s conversation with the caller. You can then decide to take over "at any time" if the call seems important. You can also add trusted numbers, like from your family or your doctor, to a "Do Not Screen" list so their calls come straight through without any AI interference.
AT&T says that in the future, the agent could become much more capable. It envisions a system that could autonomously make reservations for you at a restaurant or book hotels.
As for the receptionist itself, AT&T suggests it could handle important calls you cannot take at the moment. For example, say you get an important call about a package delivery while you are in a meeting; you could just manage the conversation with the AI by text prompting.