Banks and insurers are putting AI voices on the phone with customers

A company called Desible.ai is building voice AI for banks and insurance firms. That means the next time you call about a bill, a payment or a claim, the voice that picks up may be an AI. YourStory, a business news site, recently spoke with the company's founders about the business behind the technology.

What this is

Voice AI is software that can talk with a caller out loud, much like a person on a help line. Banks and insurers get a huge number of calls, so they are a natural place to use it. Desible.ai says its focus is those two industries.

Who it affects

Anyone who calls a bank or an insurer. That covers questions about account balances, bills and claims. These are calls about money and personal details, so how the AI behaves matters more than it would on a call about store hours.

What is not known yet

The full interview was not available for this report, so details are thin. It is not clear which banks or insurers use Desible.ai, what tasks its AI handles, or how it protects customer information. It is also not clear how callers reach a real person.

What to do

• Ask early on whether you are speaking with an AI.
• Say plainly that you want a real person if the call is not going well.
• Be careful about sharing sensitive details until you know who or what is listening.
• Write down the date, time and outcome of important calls.