Some Iranians living abroad are trying to call their families back home, only to have a robotic voice answer. Sometimes it mimics a conversation. Sometimes it offers eerily soothing messages of calm. Iranians living abroad told their stories to The Associated Press on the condition they would not be identified out of fear of endangering their families. Experts say it seems calls are being diverted to some form of artificial intelligence, a chatbot or a pre-recorded message. It is unclear who is behind the operation, though most experts believed it was likely to be the Iranian government. One saw Israel as more likely. The messages are disconcerting for Iranians in the diaspora struggling to contact their families as Israel’s offensive pounds Tehran and other cities.
