In an era of increasing reliance on online reviews, distinguishing genuine feedback from fake ones has become crucial for many people.
Yet, the rise of AI has cast this into doubt. Bad actors can now distort the public perception of online products and services by using new technology to flood the web with scores of false reviews. This might be excessive praise or criticism, or a flood of similar-sounding reviews.
Thankfully, there are several red flags to watch out for. Fake reviews, whether human-written or AI-generated, employ different tactics and we can spot these in action if we know what to spot.
The job of a reviewer is to be impartial and to give their honest opinion of a product or service for the reader’s benefit. Most items, even the best ones, have their fair share of negative reviews rather than relentless praise.
Beware of patterns where a product receives overwhelmingly positive ratings with very few negative ones. This could indicate the use of paid or fake reviews to offset genuine negative feedback.
Unfortunately, this type of trick is common in the entertainment industry as businesses invest in scam ads to attract more users. This is why independent review sites are so important. TripAdvisor is a classic example for vacations, while newer sites like StakeHub and Get Reel Movies provide unbiased insights to online casinos and movies respectively.
As advanced as AI is getting, it still struggles to write like a human.
Machine-generated reviews will often exhibit patterns that give them away, such as generic phrases, repetitive content, or grammatical errors. One amusing example has cropped up on Amazon where many AI-generated reviews contain five words that give the game away completely: those words? “As an AI language model…”
Genuine reviews tend to have a more diverse range of expressions, as writers find different ways to describe a book, film, or customer service. They often use anecdotes, too, as human writers are more likely to compare the subject of their article to something they experienced in the past.
On top of this, AI is even being used on itself. Algorithms can detect and flag AI generation, helping us identify unreliable feedback. If suspect a review of being fake, then all you need to do is paste the text into an AI detector to find out the truth in a few seconds.
One of the big dangers of the internet, particularly in the AI era, is reading any old review or article and believing it.
The best thing we can do is build up a list of trusted sources and go to them first, instead of hitting Google straight away. This might include trusted newspaper sources like The Guardian, or age-old institutions like the BBC.
Established sources like these will have stringent AI requirements forbidding their writers from using any auto-generated content in their work. The review will almost certainly be 100% authentic thanks to this, giving you an honest insight into the item you’re interested in.
If you see a review outside of an established source, it doesn’t mean that it’s definitely false.
You can also employ a quick check on the reviewer by running their name through an online search. If your results show up several past articles, then the chances are that they’re legit.
AI-generated content, on the other hand, tends to use made-up pen names that aren’t searchable.
In just a few seconds, you can see if your writer is legit or an AI fraud.
Our overreliance on AI means we may overlook the opinions we value the most: those from friends, family, or colleagues.
Personal recommendations hold significant weight because they come from people whose opinions we trust and who often match our own values and preferences.
So, instead of trusting solely online reviews, it’s also vital to back up your decisions with personal comments and recommendations from people you know.
If you want to be sure of a purchase decision, reach out to people who have first-hand experience with the product or service you are considering. Engage in meaningful conversations about their experiences, ask specific questions, and gain insights that may not be available in online reviews.
This way, you can make more informed decisions, knowing that the opinions come from individuals who have your best interests in mind.
In the age of AI, balancing technology with human insights is something that will become more and more common. When used well, it can lead to much better decision-making and smarter purchases than ever before.
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