Airtel Introduces Network-Based AI-Powered Spam Detection Tool in India

Airtel launched a network-based artificial intelligence (AI) solution on Wednesday that will automatically identify and detect spam calls and messages. The AI-powered spam detection tool is aimed at helping users know when a spammer is calling so that they can make an informed decision on whether to pick up the call or reject it. The telecom service provider said that it developed the tool in-house. Notably, Airtel Payments Bank had recently launched a smartwatch with an integrated RuPay chip that enables transactions.

In a press release, the telecom service provider detailed the new AI-powered spam detection tool. The tool is network-based, which means users do not need to download an app or subscribe to a service to see the spam calls and SMS. It will be available to all Airtel users in India and will be auto-activated by default.

Airtel AI spam detection tool
Photo Credit: Airtel

The company claimed that a proprietary algorithm was developed in-house by Airtel’s data scientists which can identify and classify calls and SMS it suspects as spam. The algorithm analyses numerous parameters before classifying a sender as a spammer. These include the sender’s usage patterns, call and SMS sending frequency, call duration, and others. These parameters will be monitored on a real-time basis, the company claimed.

The final assessment is done by cross-referencing the parameters and running the data with a centralised database. The AI system contains blacklisted URLs and scans every SMS in real time to understand whether a suspicious link was sent.

Further, Airtel claims that the tool can also detect behavioural anomalies such as frequent International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number changes, which are considered to be typical of bad actors.

While there are several apps that users can find in Google Play and App Store which can detect spam, they are third-party tools and usually rely on crowd-sourced information or external methods to identify such callers. Airtel’s tool is a first-party solution where the user does not need to take any action to see this information, and backed by the company’s massive servers and databases, the relayed information is also likely to be accurate.