“I discovered the online reviews I trusted were all AI-generated.”
The trust economy is collapsing. Reviews, testimonials, ratings, the systems we built to help people make informed decisions have been co-opted by the people who profit from uninformed ones. AI made fake reviews indistinguishable from real ones at scale. Your trust wasn't misplaced, the system that earned your trust betrayed it.
Your Practice
Stop trusting volume. Five thousand five-star reviews mean nothing if they're fabricated. Start trusting specificity, reviews that mention exact details, specific flaws, real tradeoffs. Look for the reviews that sound like a person who actually used the thing. And when you buy something good, write a real review. Be the signal in the noise.
The Architects
“Things pass for what they seem, not for what they are. Few see inside; many take to the outside. It is not enough to be right, if right seem false and ill.”