Who listens when GenAI writes reviews?

Over a third of Australians (37%) have engaged with generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Bing or Bard, in the past six months, according to a survey from Bazaarvoice. Another 13% said, while they haven’t yet used these tools, they intend to in the future. A full 50% said they haven’t and also have no plans to do so.

Respondents who have used GenAI say interactions were positive, with 57% indicating they’d use it again. That doesn’t equate to outright trust, however. Only 15% trusted the technology without reservation, while a third (32%) preferred human-generated content. 36% advocated for human oversight of GenAI-generated content.

Even fewer respondents have used AI image generators (such as Dall-E 2 or Midjourney) in the last six months. The survey found only 10% of respondents have used these tools, showing a lower usage rate than the USA, Canada, France and Germany, while equalling the UK. Australians showed the least interest in testing image generator AIs, with 77% saying they haven’t used them and have no expectation to do so anytime soon.

Coaching

Despite these perceptions, consumers are more open to using AI assistance in some situations. Almost seven in 10 Australian respondents (69%) believe that using AI to help them write online reviews could be helpful and are interested in the concept. Respondents indicated they are not comfortable writing reviews, with almost a third (29%) struggling to identify information that will help others and 40% admitting they don’t know the best way to describe their experience with a product or service. Just over three-quarters (76%) have given up reviewing a product or service because they are unsure how to do so effectively.

“The use of generative AI by Australians is growing, but there are still questions regarding trust and the need to share more information on how this technology can help,” says Kate Musgrove, Bazaarvoice Managing Director at APAC.

“AI can, for example, improve the quality of reviews, but should never be used to replace the genuine and authentic voices of consumers.”

Human touch

The human touch on a review is essential, according to respondents, with only 13% saying they would trust a website that allows for reviews fully generated by AI.

Over four in 10 consumers surveyed (44%) said they would have more trust in a company that has implemented measures to protect against content entirely written by AI in reviews, and an additional 36% admitted that such protection would influence them. Only 20% said they would not care about avoiding reviews completely produced by artificial intelligence.

This aligns with the view of 46% of Australian consumers who fear artificial intelligence can be misused to create fake reviews. A further 43% said they are concerned about false reviews generated by AI.

Image credit: iStock.com/Vertigo3d