Topic for Feb 25 (Tue)

[Kristin55]

How to Spot Fake Reviews on the Internet

AI-generated fake reviews are showing up on the internet across a wide range of industries, from e-commerce, lodging and restaurants, to services such as home repairs, medical care and piano lessons.

The Transparency Company, a tech company that uses software to detect fake reviews, said it started to see AI-generated reviews show up in large numbers in mid-2023 and they have multiplied ever since.

For a report released this month, The Transparency Company analyzed 73 million reviews in three sectors: home, legal and medical services. Nearly 14% of the reviews were likely fake, and the company expressed a "high degree of confidence" that 2.3 million reviews were partly or entirely AI-generated.

But determining what is fake or not can be challenging.

Just because a review is AI-generated doesn't necessarily mean it's fake. Some consumers might experiment with AI tools to generate content that reflects their genuine sentiments. Some non-native English speakers say they turn to AI to make sure they use accurate language in the reviews they write.

Some prominent companies already employ algorithms and investigative teams to detect and take down fake reviews but are giving users some flexibility to use AI.

Amazon and Trustpilot, for example, say they would allow customers to post AI-assisted reviews as long as they reflect their genuine experience. Yelp however, says its guidelines require reviewers to write their own reviews.

Consumers can try to spot fake reviews by watching out for a few warning signs, according to researchers. Overly enthusiastic or negative reviews are red flags. Repeating a product's full name or model number is another potential giveaway.

When it comes to AI, research conducted by Balázs Kovács, a Yale professor of organization behavior, has shown that people can't tell the difference between AI-generated and human-written reviews. Some AI detectors may also be fooled by shorter texts, which are common in online reviews, the study said.

However, there are some "AI tells" that online shoppers and service seekers should remember. Reviews written with AI are typically longer, highly structured and include "empty descriptors," such as generic phrases and attributes. The writing also tends to include cliches like "the first thing that struck me" and "game-changer."