Fake reviews in online shops: Consumer protection warns about artificial intelligence

Fake reviews in online shops: Consumer protection warns about artificial intelligence

According to a report by www.express.de, warns against fake reviews in online shops using artificial intelligence. The US Consumer Protection Agency (FTC) is already warning about the fraudulent use of generative AI to create fake profiles and fake customer reviews. This warning was confirmed by Michaela Schröder from the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv).

The falsification of reviews by artificial intelligence is a serious problem because it is difficult to distinguish them from reviews written by real people. While many platform operators use software to look for unusual language patterns in customer reviews that indicate a fake, this pattern recognition may not work with ChatGPT and other AI programs.

Although the European Union's AI law requires labeling of content produced with AI, it is assumed that fraudsters are unlikely to adhere to this. Therefore, information obligations towards consumers only offer limited protection.

These fake reviews can have a significant impact on the market and consumers. Customer trust can be lost, businesses could be harmed by fraudulent practices, and consumer choice could be influenced by fake positive reviews. It is therefore important that consumers treat online reviews consciously and critically and do not rely solely on them. Platform operators should check their analysis software for possible vulnerabilities and evasion strategies used by fraudsters in order to ensure trust and honesty in online reviews.