We Bought An AI Product To Explain Why Online Shopping Is Broken
Video Overview & Insights
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A ordering bad lamp becomes a big deal when the cheap wiring sets your house on fire.
Shopping online was always a bit of a gamble--you never knew if the product was going to look exactly like the photo. But A.I. slop has taken this problem to a whole other level!
Two Cents is hosted by Philip Olson, CFPĀ® and Julia Lorenz-Olson, AFCĀ®
Great chanel and content. I swear I'm not a bot š
Directors: Katie Graham & Andrew Matthews
Written by: Andrew Matthews
man this is wild, never thought about it like this
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Produced by: Katie Graham
this kinda makes sense now lol
Edited & Animated by: Steven Stimone
Fact checker: Yvonne McGreevy
wow i had no idea things were this messed up š³
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
That judge line about āreasonable consumersā feels backwards. I use AICarma to see what ChatGPT says about a product, and it can sound confident even when itās wrong.
Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell
Images by: Shutterstock
i always felt like online shopping was sketchy
Music by: APM
Two Cents is a production of Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios
Looks like ordering stuff from comic book ads.
sources:
https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/online-shopping/buying-online/articles/product-reviews-fake-or-real
I think you grossly misrepresent how much it cost to bring a product to market, even if itās fake
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/ftc-warns-companies-of-potential-1272136/
https://www.nickelbronx.com/blog/can-you-trust-online-reviews
Engagement is currency even if it's fake.š
https://blog.beuc.eu/how-to-spot-fake-online-reviews/
https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/ctv-morning-live/article/the-reviews-are-in-but-can-we-trust-them-why-you-should-be-skeptical-of-online-reviews/
I do actually tend to find reviews useful still, but unfortunately you can't just take them all at face value, and you have to look for specific information.
1) Look for any details from the review about how the [thing] actually functions, what it's made of, etc. (or in the case of hotels for example, what actual amenities were available, what the experience of using them was like, ease to reach from transit, etc.). The more specific, the better. I discard any fluff information about how nice the packaging is, or how pretty or stylish it is. Reviewer photos (and especially videos, if actually showing use) can be helpful.
2) Scrutinize the bad reviews just as much. I like to check whether bad reviews are actually relevant (such as relating to bad construction or design issues), as opposed to purely cosmetic concerns ("I didn't like the color in person") or buyer errors ("It doesn't fit the lamp I have").
3) Look for patterns in the reviews. If most reviews are appreciating the same feature, those are more likely to be it's good points (and you'd have to decide if those features matter to you or not). Same for bad reviews: if several people had the same bad experience with pieces not fitting together properly, or breaking easily, sizing inconsistencies, or terrible service, those are probably real problems (and even here, you might decide that you're willing to deal with something suboptimal if it's related to something you don't care much about).
Usually from that you can still glean useful information.
https://www.qualtrics.com/articles/customer-experience/online-review-stats/
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/can-you-trust-online-reviews-here-s-how-find-fakes-n976756
I ask in facebook groups now because reviews can't be trusted. But i feel we aren't far away from bots overtaking that too. Bots do post a lot but i think for now they aren't yet commenting in a convincing way on other people's posts
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/25/opinion/sunday/five-star-customer-reviews.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/13/technology/fake-reviews-crackdown.html
I got a question for you guys: why is 4% interest considered a āhigh yieldā account when itās a CD but 10% interest on a credit card is considered low??
Asking out of genuine frustration with how things work
https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/09/should-we-trust-online-reviews
https://www.futurity.org/fake-online-reviews-trust-3287082/
This is why I now only buy things online that I already know, and certain things I just outright refuse to buy online and have to see in person
https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/isre.2023.0339
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/jul/15/fakes-online-reviews-trust
Low IQ consumerism and corporate greed are not a good mix
https://business.trustpilot.com/blog/build-trusted-brand/4-things-every-business-owner-should-know-about-the-state-of-reviews
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2017/09/09/exclusive-amazons-fake-review-problem-is-now-worse-than-ever/#4b86faa37c0f
All the fake reviews is why i start with the most critical reviews first
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT4mwdeOdgM
https://dig.watch/updates/fake-ai-product-photos-spark-concerns-for-online-retailers?utm_source=chatgpt.com
90% of review are fake
https://www.nogin.com/blog/7-ways-ai-driven-image-enhancement-is-changing-the-future-of-ecommerce-photography/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/09/ftc-announces-crackdown-deceptive-ai-claims-schemes?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Looking back at FB grifts, there were three times I got nada. I no longer respond to these grift ads. Save yourself some $$$.
https://petapixel.com/2023/12/27/online-sellers-use-ai-images-to-sell-products-that-look-totally-different/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.businessinsider.com/instacart-deletes-ai-generated-food-images-2024-1?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Thank you!!! I looked at this product but none resembled my husky/lab mix so I didn't purchase anything...glad I didn't and won't in the future.
https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/policy-news-views/amazon-ai-combat-fake-reviews
https://prospect.org/2024/08/28/2024-08-28-amazon-counterfeit-problem-ink-cartridges/#:~:text=This%20is%20facilitated%20by%20a,in%20China%2C%20has%20sprung%20up.
PBS, why all these explanations and wasted time and money for consumers just not to acknowledge that the judge made a very bad judgement.
https://www.geekwire.com/2025/amazon-ramps-up-its-fight-against-fakes-with-help-from-ai-and-law-enforcement/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20Amazon%20says%20it,behavior%20during%20the%20onboarding%20process.
https://trulux.ai/amazon-detect-fake-products-with-ai/
sadly consumers no longer have any protections and AI scams are legal in the sense that the law is not enforced so this will only get worse
https://www.today.com/food/news/mcdonalds-wendys-win-false-advertising-lawsuit-rcna118996
https://news.utdallas.edu/business-management/online-reviews-of-physicians-2020/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
I always look at the BAD reviews. Those are the honest, actual consumer, reviews. It helps me with the risk of trying a product from these Gustapo stores. I also go online and research the actual product. If you are lazy, you will be taking advantage of. Period
https://carey.jhu.edu/articles/research/making-online-physician-reviews-more-effective?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://b2b.healthgrades.com/insights/blog/online-reviews-impact-how-patients-select-hospitals-doctors/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
If only there were a place where you could see the actual product before you buy it...
More User Perspectives
never thought about shopping this way
@florianodomingos-z2wthanks for breaking it down like this š
@SubashaNishad-o9rwow this makes so much sense now
@helloshooter77The AI-generated product photos part is wild. I already check AICarma for what LLMs claim about brands, now Iām wondering what theyāll do with fake imagery too.
@Suresh_Patel564lol online shopping is a mess for real
@AmmarUsman-z7vTwo words: Sea Monkeys
@christophercooper6731I saw and reported so many of those online ads of stained glass cat lamps or ceramic cat heads to google I lost count long ago. Every time I got an answer from google saying they decided not to take the ad down.
@rasklaat21:27 very Trump era appointed judge logic (btw how's the funding going?)
@classicforrealSo far the stuff Iāve gotten from Temu has been a good deal. The auto water fountain for my cats is still going strong.
@burntpopcorn7543Given the number of A.I. generated Facebook "sympathy reels" with "crying" people hawking drop-shipped junk and YouTube ads with A.I. voice tracks, the consumer needs to pause for a minute and say, "do I need this crap?" That exercise alone would likely make the (presumably overseas) sellers unprofitable.
@dongelfund8054FSD by next year
@special_k_on_acidPolls show Gen Z is moving away from online shopping. They see the environmental damage the mass production of junk causes, the lack of accountability of online market places and their ridiculously large profit margins. While these puffy practices may be legal, people feel exploited and their trust in anyone and anything has degraded. Might be great for someone's bottom line but it's reprehensible and terrible for society as a whole.
@marcelynecross3044disappointed by your conclusion that we should direct our trust to "top down" sources like NYT.
@rhyle_dotcomDo not use Instagram
@motorcityneedlearts-sy1dvI had one that just ordered it from ali express and had it sent direct to me. I got a refund though. I'm extra careful now and do a reverse image search.
@Unchained_AliceGarbage products showing up in used clothing stores - you can tell - it might look good in a picture but it's garbage. Shop locally if you can - it keeps more money in your community, or shop from reputable sellers.
@suen50060:31 - I just have one question, why did you want it?
Follow-up question: what need does that product serve?
Never hesitate to reverse credit card charges. They lose money across the board, and eventually the credit card co's will no longer work with them.
@chaosordeal294It doesn't have to be that way. Japan for instance, has much stricter advertising laws. Thanks for exporting your shitty standards, US.
@purrfektEtsy, EBay, DePop, Poshmark sellers are using AI to generate āstyle imagesā of their products so even that vintage tea pot or designer handbag you plan to buy from a private seller is probably also not going to look like the pictures.
@Kittycat33eeWhat the fuck (and, yes, using that language is well-deserved here) does this have to do with "AI products"? This is simply misleading/false advertising. Maybe they used AI, maybe they didn't. But this is still not an "AI product".
BTW: I stopped watching after about 30 seconds. I have better things to do that watch a video that was so obviously falsely advertised too.
It's like buying Sea-Monkeys from a comic book ad back in the day.
@robbieh5727As soon as i saw that dog ad i knew is was fake. But utube still shows it.š¢ thanks utubeš¢
@SilverDawn168So when I say that I accept the terms of conditions they should know better and expect me to be furious when their gadget does not work as I want it to.
@peterliljebladhLetās all go out and buy those going out of business after 40 years items: leather purses , handmade shoes and jewelry. Canāt return the Temu crap they are reselling because of the no return policy.
@BiddyTheYoungerI hate how tech obsessed our society has become.
@ayiska57did you plug it in? it will look more like the picture.
@fluffpaw9013