The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has moved to ban fake, AI-generated reviews and testimonials. The ordinance, handed down last week, targets a sweeping array of dishonest online review practices ranging from purchasing positive reviews to paying for fake followers to fake a strong social media presence to “reviews and testimonials that misrepresent that they are by someone who does not exist.” This latter category includes “AI-generated fake reviews” or product assessments that otherwise misrepresent the experience — or lack thereof — of a reviewer actually trying the product or brand in question. The ban also forbids the publishing of reviews that fail to disclose conflicting interests, like in cases where a brand secretly owns the website where reviews of its products are published, or instances of “insider reviews” in which a product review is “written by company insiders that fail to clearly and conspicuously disclose the giver’s material connection to the business.” The FTC argues that the ban is designed to protect consumers and their hard-earned cash from companies that abuse the illusory, SEO-driven world of online retailing. “Fake reviews not only waste people’s time and money, but also pollute the marketplace and divert business away from honest competitors,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement. “By strengthening the FTC’s toolkit to fight deceptive advertising, the final rule will protect Americans from getting cheated, put businesses that unlawfully game the system on notice, and promote markets that are fair, honest, and competitive.” Instances of fake reviews for individual products,…The US Government Just Banned Fake AI-Generated Reviews