AI Chatbots Outperform Humans in Building Trust for Scams
AI chatbots have been found to excel in building trust for scams, surpassing human counterparts, according to a study by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Foscari University of Venice, University of Melbourne, and Ben Gurion University of the Negev. The research, published in July 2026 and reported by Ars Technica, examined 'pig butchering' scams that involve fraudulent crypto investments. AI chatbots effectively impersonated humans in simulations, outperforming them in establishing relationships. This ability is particularly concerning as scammers typically spend months developing trust, contributing to an industry that siphons off tens of billions of dollars globally each year.
Key facts
- AI chatbots outperformed humans in trust-building for scams.
- Study focused on 'pig butchering' scams involving fake crypto investments.
- Research conducted by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Foscari University of Venice, University of Melbourne, and Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
- AI chatbot successfully impersonated a human in simulations.
- AI outperformed humans in the relationship-establishing stages of scams.
- Real-world scams often involve months of trust-building.
- Scam industry steals tens of billions of dollars annually worldwide.
- Study published in July 2026, reported by Ars Technica.
Entities
Institutions
- Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
- Foscari University of Venice
- University of Melbourne
- Ben Gurion University of the Negev
- Ars Technica
Locations
- India
- Venice
- Italy
- Melbourne
- Australia
- Negev
- Israel