When it comes to online shopping, reading through user reviews has become an essential step in evaluating the worth of a product. However, sifting through numerous reviews, which can run into the hundreds, can be a daunting task. Addressing this challenge, Amazon has harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify the process. The e-commerce giant is now unveiling AI-generated review summaries, condensing extensive Amazon reviews into succinct one-paragraph summaries that encapsulate the prevailing sentiments, The Verge reported.
After undergoing several months of testing, these summaries are now being made available to a select group of users within the US through Amazon’s mobile app. This feature encompasses a wide array of products, enriching the shopping experience. Accompanying these summaries are clickable tags that showcase pertinent themes and recurring words extracted from customer reviews. This functionality bears a resemblance to an existing keyword feature within Amazon’s reviews, allowing users to seamlessly navigate to comprehensive reviews focused on the chosen theme.
That said, many have stated such summaries predominantly emphasize the positive aspects of a product while briefly touching on its shortcomings toward the end. This approach aligns with Amazon’s existing system, which prioritizes highly rated products in search results, making it challenging to locate summaries for products that have garnered significant dissatisfaction.
Nonetheless, the summaries are presented at the top of the review section on mobile, under the header “Customers say.” A prominent note follows, indicating that the summary was AI-generated. Amazon ensures that these summaries exclusively draw from verified purchases, aiming to combat the prevalence of fake reviews. Additionally, the system incorporates review highlight filters, facilitating access to reviews that discuss specific features or issues.
Addressing concerns about the credibility of online reviews, particularly in the context of fake reviews, is a pertinent issue. While Amazon has taken steps to curtail fake reviews, blocking over 200 million suspected instances in 2022 alone, the challenge remains significant. The efficacy of AI-powered fake reviews, potentially generated using tools like ChatGPT, in evading detection compared to human-written reviews raises further questions.
In any case, the practice of summarizing customer reviews through generative AI has emerged as a practical and straightforward application of AI technology. Recently, Newegg introduced a similar feature, and Microsoft incorporated AI-generated summaries into the Microsoft Store earlier this year. As more platforms adopt this approach, users must navigate the terrain of trusting summaries provided by platforms driven by commercial objectives.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
