General · 8 September 2026
Gen Z and AI scammers are killing off the traditional 'hello'
Unsplash / Timur Repin
The word "hello", which only appeared in print about 200 years ago, is now facing extinction because young people prefer alternatives. A survey showed 40% of 18-24 year-olds think it's fine to answer without any greeting. Avoiding a greeting also helps beat AI scammers who can clone voices from a phone greeting to trick loved ones into sending money.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs