08.10.2024 - There are increasing reports of scams being carried out with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). AI can be used to imitate voices, create deepfake videos or write texts in Swiss German. Last week, we received a report that a fake entry had been made on a review site using AI.
Review sites offer customers the opportunity to gain a comprehensive picture of a company or product before they make a purchase. Especially when it comes to choosing a hotel or restaurant, or deciding whether or not to buy something from an online store, people rely on reviews from other customers. Positive reviews can help a business gain the trust of new customers and increase sales, while negative reviews can put potential customers off. However, it is precisely because reviews can influence decisions that there is a risk of abuse. Reviews can be manipulated by companies or dissatisfied customers. For example, in order to improve their image, companies may create fake positive reviews or have negative reviews removed. On the other hand, disgruntled customers or even competitors may deliberately leave negative reviews to damage a company.
One particular case caught our attention, in which AI-generated images were used to make a company look bad. The fake pictures showed dirty toilets, spoiled food and rooms that were filthy. We do not know if they are real images that have been manipulated with AI, or if they are 100% AI-generated. Why this was done is also a mystery. Although in this case the images are so exaggerated as to be obviously fake, it shows the potential for abuse that AI-generated images have. Thanks to AI, it only takes a few clicks to add worms to a picture of a salad, or mildew stains to a hotel room.
As public awareness of online scams has increased, many people have developed a healthy dose of scepticism about written content on the internet, including reviews. However, people tend to trust images and videos more, perhaps not realising that they can now be easily manipulated by AI. Our prediction is that trust in images and video will decrease significantly in the future as AI applications become more available and easier to use. Images and video will need to be treated with greater scepticism, just as written content is now. Media literacy is becoming increasingly important.
Recommendations
- For companies:
If your business is on a review platform, we recommend that you check the reviews regularly and act quickly if you find a fake review; - For customers:
While reviews are an important tool for gauging the quality of an (online) service, you should read them with a healthy dose of scepticism. If several reviews are similarly worded or extremely positive or negative, caution is advised.
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Last modification 08.10.2024
