Amazon Leverages AI To Fight Fake Reviews

By Shiona McCallum
technology reporter

4 hours ago

image source, Getty Images

Amazon said it is using the latest artificial intelligence (AI) to crack down on fake reviews and identify inauthentic comments.

Tech giants are grappling with fake review “brokers” that have become a major problem for their shopping sites.

Amazon has invested in machine learning models that analyze thousands of data points to help detect fraud.

But the UK consumer group ‘Which?’ said the effort was still ‘not good enough’.

Fake review brokers use third-party platforms such as social media and encrypted messaging services to buy, sell and host fake reviews.

Fake reviews are people who are actually getting paid to write glowing reviews to boost the seller’s rating, but what notes they believe are genuine feedback from other shoppers. It can sway customers in purchasing decisions, such as whether to buy a computer or a child’s toy. , or to undermine a rival company.

General information and a very high percentage of 5-star reviews can be helpful, but they aren’t always easy to find.

In 2022, Amazon reported over 23,000 social media groups with over 46 million members and followers promoting fake reviews.

Amazon has been using AI to fight fake reviews for years, but continued investment in more “sophisticated tools” should help protect customers and sellers on the platform. said the company.

The company said its fraud detection AI can look at various factors to calculate the likelihood that a review is fake. This may include the author’s relationships with her other online accounts, her sign-in activity, review history, and unusual behavior.

“We use machine learning to look for suspicious accounts and track the relationship between buying accounts that leave reviews and those who sell their products,” said Dharmesh, head of Amazon’s customer trust team. Mr Mehta told the BBC.

“By combining significant scrutiny with both very advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence that observes different signals and behaviors, we can stop fake reviews before customers encounter them,” he said. rice field.

Harry Kind Where are you from? In the UK, he also estimates that one in about seven online consumer reviews is fake.

“Amazon has tried all sorts of technologies to crack down on fake reviews, with all sorts of success.

“But as far as we are concerned, it is still not enough to solve this big problem,” he said.

Fake reviews have more than doubled the chances of consumers choosing a low-quality product, according to consumer groups.

Amazon said it blocked more than 200 million suspected fake reviews last year as a result of new techniques it developed and said it “continues to build advanced tools to protect our customers.”

However, retail platforms are seeking greater cooperation between the private sector, consumer groups and governments to make their strategies more effective.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill, currently passing through the UK Parliament, is expected to strengthen the legal powers of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the regulator in this area.

which one? He welcomed Amazon’s call for a more co-operative approach, but by “explicitly making the buying, selling, and hosting of fake reviews subject to criminal enforcement,” he said it would be more likely than UK law is currently envisioned. asked to step into

Fake review “factories” on Facebook that trade reviews from Amazon and other sites are still easy to find, he said.

The CMA said it has already taken serious action against fake and misleading reviews and those who trade them.

A CMA spokesperson said, “Our investigation into fake reviews, including the case against Amazon, is ongoing, and we will have further updates later this year.”