Truecaller joins telcos against AI-based number blocking

New Delhi: Swedish call management app Truecaller has sided with Indian telcos in opposing the blocking of mobile numbers based on flagging by artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions, saying consent should always come from the user.

“Because AI is a trained model and not entirely accurate, I would not have the confidence to automatically block those calls on behalf of users. We identify, but we do not block unless the user initiates it,” Truecaller CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala told in an exclusive interview.