Airtel Launches AI-Powered Spam Detection to Tackle Nuisance Calls

Bharti Airtel is launching an AI-enabled technology to combat spam calls and messages. Set to start on September 26, the solution will alert users about potential spam but requires user action to block calls. The service, free for Airtel smartphone users, processes billions of messages and calls daily.

Bharti Airtel is all set to roll out artificial intelligence-enabled technology on its network to crack down on spam calls and messages, company Managing Director and CEO Gopal Vittal announced on Wednesday.

The new technology, launching at midnight on September 26, will alert users about potential spam calls and messages. 'There are several indicators based on which we have identified spammers. We have developed an AI-enabled spam detection solution that analyzes calls in 2 milliseconds and alerts users on the dialer,' Vittal said.

The service, free for all Airtel smartphone users, processes 1.5 billion messages and 2.5 billion calls daily, identifying 100 million potential spam calls and 3 million spam SMSes each day. However, the technology does not automatically block calls, leaving it to users to decide due to potential 'false positives' where genuine calls are marked as spam. Vittal also noted the solution doesn't address spam calls on OTT apps like WhatsApp, a significant pain point.

(With inputs from agencies.)