Why i avoid online reviews, well nearly all reviews

[Obsydian]

A few years ago, whilst working on a project, as a team we struggled to reconcile actual customer data with online reviews (i.e. a Hoosuite trawl and summation or everything).

The aim was to use AI to help correlate what we saw in the field (real actual customers), field surveys (3rd party but real customers) and then all the other inputs, as on a number of occasions things just did not stack up, plus a vision to improve the test procedures.

Conclusion, we concluded majority of the online reviews, comments were based on essentially fake reviews. Out of personal interest I went down a rabbit hole of "where else is this ..." turns out journalism is one of the BIGGEST AI plagiarism types.

I usually avoided "reviews" as you just end up imagining or repeating what someone else has said, a bit like medical placebo trials.

If you are interested, it is worth a read up, no, I won't give you links 😋

As we take about AI subscriptions and customers deciding whether to pay or not, it is worth checking how much Businesses are spending on AI to "condition" the masses.

Back to this forum, I like it when people go RAW, Authentic, long or short reviews, but just share THEIR thoughts, otherwise it all becomes like my favourite jibe, WHAT HIFI 5 STAR reviews costs X (that comment nearly got me banned years ago from a Hifi forum)

In the words of Ali G

KEEP

IT

REAL

[smiley]

I guess i am old skool in my thinking. Whilst I am trying to embrace AI in some ways, this really only extends currently to using Gemini to search for my train times... let me know of any local restaurants, or just using AI to mess around with some fun portrait depictions of me. Perhaps also a bit of generative editing etc.

I am uncomfortable with using AI as some do. I would personally rather spend 30 minutes of my time writing a post, than to reply using automation to do it for me.

Currently, all my material is my own. Some of my posts on gaming, handset reviews and other subjects on this community are all me... and only me.

During this process I read and learn for my own knowledge as well. As an example to read through the data sheet on the SnapDragon Elite chipset as I did yesterday afternoon, has improved my knowledge. Something I would never have learned if I had AI summarising things for me.

Perhaps sometime in the future the balance changes in my own world and methods. My workplace are rolling out AI tools as we speak. Whilst I am not opposed to advances in technology and making life easier, I also strive to learn myself... and sometimes this means reading and doing things the 'old skool' way.

I am out of my depth when it comes to ChatGPT, Deepseek, and all the various other AI methods that are constantly mentioned at the moment.

I am sure one day I will be forced to learn more. For the moment, I like to take credit for my own 'ramblings'.

😎

[JAMES4578]

Yes you do wonder just how many online reviews are authentic,whilst can be tell tale signs some are taken in.   It certainly "pays" to do your own research.

[Obsydian]

Read some top Professor in the USA did a study, a year old, result was it is convicing, but for me only at repeated the same blurb, but to match my style AI needs to introduce more grammatical errors 😂

[Obsydian]

I think posts should be flagged as AI generated, some form of DRM like music an we see it on AI photos as a watermark and the meta data.

I like a good ramble, we have time before SkyNet takes over, i don't mind as long as we don't have to work and get a monthly stipend

[Moiramon]

I find online reviews useful but look for the common ground. Ignore overly positive or negative reviews.

[Joeeye]

I've always read and watched reviews of products I'm interested in, but ultimately I only pay interest in something that I percieve a benefit to me. It's always important to be certain what your needs are and then go from there. Too much impulse buying is how so many work themselves up to buyers remorse.