In recent times, online scams have become a big issue. In one such incident, scammers have been found using the free-to-use Generative AI tool, ChatGPT, to write fake reviews on e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Flipkart, and in return, they are getting a 5-star rating on their product. Drewcophman, a Twitter user, reported to have found various fake reviews written via tools such as ChatGPT. Users were able to spot these fake reviews mainly because they would usually start with “As an AI language model”. Other reports also highlighted examples of scammers using generative AI tools to write fake reviews for a waist trimmer, a book for fifth graders, an aquarium light, and a cookbook. Reports also highlighted scammers using ChatGPT to write a fake review on Optima batteries.
In response to this issue, Amazon filed legal action against 10,000 Facebook groups which promised fake reviews in exchange for money or free products. Not only that, in the month of March 2023, Amazon also took legal action against six suspects suspected to be involved in the fake review racket. Flipkart also took up the issue seriously, and published a post to help users identify fake products and sellers in September 2022.
Although both Amazon and Flipkart have taken stringent actions, the danger these AI language models pose still haven’t been diminished. Cybersecurity experts worry about the possibility of scammers using these tools to create malware. Even tech entrepreneurs, like Elon Musk, have cautioned against the mass usage of generative AI tools. However, many industry leaders, like Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, believe that generative AI is an inevitable part of our society and must be confronted early on.
