Bharti Airtel has announced further upgrades to its AI-powered spam detection tool, following its initial launch in September 2024. The company revealed that its existing system has flagged over 27.5 billion calls as spam for its customers.
The latest enhancements focus on providing users with spam alerts in their preferred Indian languages and extending protection against spam originating from international networks.
Recognizing the diverse linguistic landscape of India, Airtel will now offer spam alerts for both calls and SMS messages in nine vernacular languages. These initial languages include Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, and Telugu, with plans for future expansion. This feature aims to improve the clarity and accessibility of spam notifications for a wider user base. It is currently available to customers using Android devices.
In response to a noted increase in spam calls originating from international networks, Airtel’s upgraded AI tool will now screen and alert users to such communications. The company observed a 12% rise in overseas spam calls in the past six months, indicating a shift in tactics by spammers seeking to circumvent domestic spam filters. Airtel anticipates that this new capability will effectively address this growing challenge.
The enhanced AI-driven spam solution will provide notifications in a total of ten Indian languages, encompassing both domestic and international spam. Airtel emphasizes that these upgraded features will be automatically activated for all its customers at no additional cost, eliminating the need for any service requests.
Airtel’s initial AI-powered anti-spam tool, launched in September 2024, has reportedly provided significant relief to its users. The company states that it has identified 27.5 billion spam calls since its inception, averaging approximately 1560 spam calls per second. Furthermore, Airtel reports a 16% decrease in spam calls experienced by its customers since the tool’s original launch.
Commenting on the initiative, Siddharth Sharma, Director Marketing and CEO Connected Homes, Bharti Airtel, said:
Customers and their feedback are at the heart of everything we do. After carefully analysing customer feedback, we have enhanced our solutions to better serve the linguistic diversity of India. Additionally, with the growing volume of SPAM traffic shifting to foreign networks, we have decided to expand our AI-powered tool to scan all SMS messages and phone calls originating from international numbers. Our dedicated team of engineers and data scientists will continue to refine and enhance our offerings, ensuring we stay ahead of any and all emerging threats.