● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportLow impact1 neutral
The Decline of 'Hello' in Phone Greetings and the Rise of AI Voice Scams
Key points
- The word 'hello' became a standard phone greeting due to Thomas Edison.
- Gen Z often uses 'Hi', 'What's up?', or no greeting when answering calls.
- A survey found 40% of 18-24 year-olds find no greeting acceptable.
- AI voice cloning scams can use recorded greetings to mimic voices.
The Origin of 'Hello' as a Greeting
The word 'hello' originated from older attention-grabbing noises like 'holla' and 'hillo' from the 16th century. It became the standard telephone greeting after Alexander Graham Bell's invention in 1876, when Thomas Edison advocated for it over Bell's preferred 'Ahoy-hoy'. Edison's reasoning was that the telephone's ability to cross time zones rendered time-based greetings like 'good morning' obsolete.
Gen Z's Shift in Phone Etiquette
Modern phone etiquette is changing, with Gen Z increasingly abandoning 'hello'. Reports indicate that younger generations prefer answering with 'Hi', 'What's up?', or 'Yeah?'. A survey revealed that 40% of 18-24 year-olds consider it acceptable to answer the phone without any greeting, attributing this to caller ID and the continuous nature of conversations across various digital platforms.
The Threat of AI Voice Scams
The decline of 'hello' is also influenced by the emergence of AI voice cloning scams. Scammers can now replicate voices using AI, often by extracting audio from recorded telephone greetings. These cloned voices are then used to defraud loved ones by requesting money. Consumer watchdogs and media outlets have reported on this type of scam.
New Strategies for Unidentified Calls
To counter AI voice cloning scams, advice suggests remaining silent when answering calls from unidentified numbers until the caller's identity is confirmed. This strategy aims to prevent scammers from obtaining a voice sample for cloning. The shift away from an initial 'hello' is presented as a protective measure against these advanced fraudulent techniques.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
The traditional phone greeting 'hello' is declining, particularly among Gen Z, who often use informal alternatives or no greeting at all. This shift is partly due to caller ID making greetings seem redundant and the rise of AI voice cloning scams, which can replicate voices from recorded greetings.