It's Now Illegal to Post Fake AI-Generated Product Reviews by People Who Don't Exist
It's officially illegal to publish fake, AI-generated product reviews.
Sweeping changes to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines aimed at cleaning up the polluted, confusing world of online product reviews went into effect on Monday, meaning the federal agency is now allowed to levy civil penalties against bad actors who knowingly post product reviews and testimonials deemed misleading to American consumers.
The new guidelines are expansive, prohibiting sleazy businesses from engaging in a wide array of abusive tactics. That list includes using generative AI tools to whip up fake testimonials or product review articles — bonus points if those reviews are attributed to someone who isn't real, or published by someone overstating or misreporting their level of experience with a given product.
A perfect example of this kind of content? Review-style articles published at dozens of media companies including Sports Illustrated and The Miami Herald by a third-party media company called AdVon Commerce, which multiple Futurism investigations revealed to be largely AI-generated and even bylined by fake authors outfitted with equally fake profile pictures and bios purporting alleged expertise.
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