Five engineering lessons from building AI scam detection into an Outlook add-in

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The team behind OutlookDog, an AI-powered Outlook add-in, has shared five key engineering lessons after a year of developing email-safety features on the Office add-in platform. They found that replacing technical jargon like 'SPF fail' with plain-language warnings significantly improved user response rates. The add-in was deliberately designed with minimal permissions — unable to send, delete, or move mail — to reduce both security risks and friction with IT teams. A warn-and-explain approach, where each flag displays specific red flags, reduced false-positive complaints more effectively than simply issuing fewer warnings. The team also emphasized designing primarily for high-stakes scenarios like fraudulent wiring instruction emails, which are common in real estate and title industries, rather than obvious scams.

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ProgrammingDEV Community ·

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