New initiative will focus on cutting edge AI tools that restore trust in communications and help telcos combat increasingly sophisticated robocall threats
Transaction Network Services (TNS) today announced the launch of AI Labs. The new initiative is designed to help TNS’ carrier and enterprise customers tap into the full potential of advanced artificial intelligence technologies to help restore trust in communications, better analyze call traffic activity through voice biometrics and protect consumers from the growing use of nefarious AI voice cloning robocalls by bad actors.
For more than three decades, TNS’ Communications Market division has pioneered advanced call analytics and management technologies to support carriers and enterprises through its flagship TNS Call Guardian® product and, more recently, TNS Enterprise Branded Calling and TNS Enterprise Authentication. AI Labs continues this commitment to innovation.
“Hundreds of global carriers and enterprises rely on TNS for innovative, proven technologies that drive better business outcomes, provide a compelling subscriber experience and help protect consumers,” said TNS Communications Market Chief Data Officer, Greg Bohl who will lead AI Labs. “AI is evolving at a fast pace; our goal is to create a platform for innovation where our customers not only benefit from artificial intelligence but serve as a true partner in researching and building applications for near- and long-term impact.”
The AI Labs team will operate across TNS’ global offices, concentrated in the US and India. Greg will oversee the initiative, with TNS Communications Market Sr. Director Dr. Ananth Iyer leading the global AI operations, and Director of AI Research Dr. Sanjay Saini leading India operations. A pioneer in the field, Greg has over 30 years of experience ranging from AI in data driven industries to founding AI start-ups. He regularly shares guidance on the subject, most recently at an FCC workshop and at SIPNOC.
AI Labs will research how AI can be leveraged for future use in the telecom industry, with an early-stage focus on generative, predictive and discriminative AI applications that include:
- AI-powered voice biometrics. Voice biometrics uses real-time AI to determine whether the voice on the other end of an incoming call is synthetic (a robocall) or not (a legitimate call). It acts as a call screener by analyzing the voice, tone and diction of callers to determine whether the voice is real or a bad actor deploying AI for nefarious intent.
- Predictive AI-powered call analytics. TNS will seek to grow the use of predictive algorithms for TNS’ Call Guardian call analytics platform and the 1.5 billion daily call events TNS analyzes across hundreds of carrier networks to better understand bad actors’ robocall patterns.
- Generative AI demonstrations. Key to combating the ease with which scammers can clone voices using AI is understanding how voice replication works. AI Labs offers an environment to experience how generative AI can be used for legitimate and nefarious purposes first-hand.
- AI SMS detection. TNS will employ AI models to detect and help prevent machine generated text messages from reaching the intended recipient, which plague consumers messaging services today. These features will be incorporated into its spam detection products.
Greg adds, “As advanced robocall scams proliferate, there is a critical need across the telecom ecosystem for research and development that keeps our industry a step ahead of bad actors. We believe AI Labs will play a leading role in broader efforts to integrate AI into ongoing and future robocall prevention measures such as STIR/SHAKEN, advanced call analytics and other rigorous enforcement measures in order to protect consumers.”
AI Labs plan to host a series of demo days during which key TNS carrier and enterprise customers, policymakers, regulators and other industry stakeholders can tour the labs to observe and experience AI applications in development.
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