is taking on phone scammers in a new way – with a digital AI assistant that can answer your calls for you.
AT&T tests new AI digital receptionist
The digital receptionist can handle incoming calls and filter out spam, so customers spend more time talking to the people they actually want to reach. | Image credit – AT&T
This is just a taste of what AI agents could do with your phone to make your life easier. Eventually, a future AI agent could autonomously connect you to make reservations at the hottest restaurant. Just tell it the name of the restaurant, and it will connect you – or even book your reservation – all on its own. This digital receptionist could also eventually handle phone calls that are important, but you can’t take at the time, by getting directions from you in real time with text prompts.
– AT&T, September 2025
Why a digital receptionist could change how you answer calls
Think of it as having a personal assistant built into your phone. It answers calls on your behalf, asks questions like “Who’s calling?” and “What’s this regarding?”, and then decides what happens next. It can figure out if the caller is human, how urgent the call is, and whether it meets your own criteria.
If it’s important, the receptionist connects the call and then disappears from the conversation. If it’s something the AI can handle – like taking a message or confirming a delivery window – it does that instead.
AI vs AI feels like the right fight
Sure, it might be annoying at first to fine-tune who gets screened and who doesn’t, but if it spares you from endless robocalls and scam attempts, the tradeoff is worth it. Of course, the real test will be how smooth and reliable it feels once more users get access. For now, it is just a trial, but it could end up becoming a default feature that changes how we deal with calls entirely.
Rediscover some of the most unique and memorable phones of the last two decades! “Iconic Phones” is a beautifully illustrated book that we’ve been working on for over a year – and it’s coming out in just a couple short month!
#ATTs #stop #scam #calls #ruining #day
