Earlier this year, Mozilla acquired Fakespot, a startup utilizing AI and machine learning to detect fraudulent product reviews. Now, Mozilla is introducing its inaugural LLM (large language model) with the debut of Fakespot Chat, an AI agent designed to assist online shoppers by answering queries about products and even suggesting relevant questions for their research.
It’s interesting to see AI combatting fake reviews, especially as such reviews are often crafted using AI technology like GPT. Amazon reviews generated through ChatGPT, starting with the phrase “As an AI language model,” have raised concerns. TripAdvisor also removed over 20,000 reviews it believed contained AI-generated text. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has proposed a rule to address the issue, acknowledging that AI is exacerbating the problem.
Despite this irony, Fakespot employs AI, including generative AI, to enhance the trustworthiness of online shopping. Last year, it introduced a generative AI feature called Pros and Cons, summarizing product reviews. The feature, trained on billions of data points, utilized five different models.
This week, Fakespot Chat entered testing, enabling shoppers to consult an AI chatbot about a product, similar to seeking assistance from a salesperson in a physical store. The technology uses AI and machine learning to distinguish genuine from fake reviews and provide answers. Mozilla ensures user privacy, saving chat session data to enhance the overall experience without requiring account creation or personal information disclosure.
Fakespot Chat is accessible through the Fakespot Analyzer or Fakespot’s browser extension on Amazon.com. Users can ask questions by pasting the product URL into the analyzer or using the browser add-on, which initiates automatic analysis. The AI agent appears alongside other features on the analysis page, allowing users to interrogate it about the product.
Mozilla’s AI initiatives include a $30 million commitment to Mozilla.ai, focused on building an independent open-source AI ecosystem. The Responsible AI Challenge encourages developers to create trustworthy AI solutions.
Acknowledging that the AI chatbot may not always be flawless, Mozilla invites users to provide feedback for continuous improvement. Saoud Khalifah, founder and director of Fakespot at Mozilla, expresses the goal of reducing product research time and guiding users to better purchasing decisions with Fakespot Chat.
