Macquarie University today announced an Australian-first pilot program to explore the use of cutting-edge AI-powered bots to help disrupt phone call scams.
APATE.AI, a spin-out from Macquarie University, uses conversational AI to deploy a disruptive anti-scam technology comprised of realistic multilingual bots designed to keep scammers on long fake calls to divert them away from the many victims who lose money to global cybercriminals every day.
The interactions between scammers and APATE.AI bots enable the extraction of unique and critical intelligence about scammers’ tactics, identifying impersonated organisations and new scam campaigns in real-time.
As part of the pilot program, Macquarie University and APATE.AI are collaborating with Australia’s largest bank, CommBank, to share actionable scam intelligence to help prevent, detect and disrupt scams.
While telecommunications providers are taking steps to block scam calls, the calls that do get through can wreak havoc on victims. According to the ACCC, phone calls were the number-one method used by scammers last year.
“This pilot will be a game-changer in the fight against phone scams,” says Professor Dali Kaafar, Executive Director of Macquarie University’s Cyber Security Hub and CEO of APATE.AI.
“Our mission is to disrupt scammers’ business models globally. This proactive approach against scam calls will make it much harder for fraudsters to reach actual victims. APATE.AI’s technology is about staying ahead of the scammers.”
The pilot project will trial the scalability and effectiveness of the APATE.AI technology and position it for a global commercial launch.
“The collaboration with CommBank and the research collaboration with Macquarie University are crucial in bringing this technology to market,” says Professor Kaafar.
Professor Dan Johnson, Macquarie University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Enterprise), says the collaboration with CommBank highlights the power of academia and industry working together.
“Macquarie University is committed to pioneering research that translates to real-world impact, and this funding will allow us to demonstrate the applications and capabilities of this unique anti-scam technology and its potential to make a significant difference in keeping Australians safe from scams,” says Professor Johnson.
James Roberts, CommBank’s General Manager of Group Fraud, says the bank is committed to working with others, including across industries, to help combat scams.
“Most scams originate outside of the regulated banking system, and phone calls are a popular way that scammers make contact to steal people’s money,” he says.
“We’re collaborating with Macquarie University and APATE.AI to look at how this AI solution could help bolster real-time scam intelligence sharing to disrupt scammers.
“CommBank remains focused on collaborating across industries – ultimately to help make Australia less attractive to scammers.”
Professor Kaafar says successful deployment of APATE.AI technology in this pilot project will pave the way for wider adoption.
The initiative aligns with the Australian Government’s National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) priority area of enabling technologies with the goal of creating a safer digital environment for all.
