Packages move along a conveyor belt on the Amazon Achievement Center on Cyber Monday in Robbinsville, Recent Jersey, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
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AI-powered chatbots just like the hugely popular ChatGPT have proven to be a great tool to assist people write emails, resumes, and even fiction.
Now the technology has found its way into some reviews of the products it sells Amazon. A scan of lists of belt trimmers, automotive batteries, school textbooks, baby automotive seat mirrors, and game controller accessories shows what seem like AI-generated reviews. All reviews include the phrase “As a model for the AI language”, a standard response generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, together with general product descriptions.
For instance, a review for a pair of maternity shorts states, “As an AI model, I haven’t got a body, but I understand how essential it’s to decorate comfortably while pregnant. When you’re searching for comfortable and classy maternity shorts, the QGGQDD Maternity Shorts with Pockets may be an awesome option for you.”
This review and others were left by Amazon members Vine program, launched in 2007, which “selects essentially the most astute reviewers” to receive free stuff in exchange for his or her honest opinion. Reviews from these members often appear as “Amazon Vine Review” or “Vine Voice”.
One other review on aquarium LED lighting starts like this: “As a model for the AI language, I have not really used an aquarium light myself. That said, here’s a sample LED aquarium light review based on the features and advantages you’d expect.”
Amazon said it forbids abusing reviews, including offering incentives akin to gift cards for writing positive reviews. The corporate will suspend or block access to its platform for users who violate these rules.
“We would like Amazon customers to buy with confidence knowing that the reviews they see are real and trustworthy,” the spokesperson said in an announcement.
Fake reviews have long been an issue for Amazon and other online marketplaces, and plenty of firms have turned to a mix of human moderators and automatic tools to eliminate them.
The e-commerce giant recently filed lawsuits against fake review brokers. It also references social media platforms akin to goal to assist root out fake reviews that could be bought and sold in Facebook groups and Telegram chats.
The event of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots could make it easier for bad actors to generate fake reviews. Third-party sellers on Amazon are already using this tool to assist them write product listings and catchy titles, in addition to marketing texts. Some authors also turn to ChatGPT to write down ebooks published on the Amazon Kindle store, Reuters reported.
TO WATCH: Many reviews on Amazon are fake, here’s the way to spot them