"This is fraudulent advertising and what we call bait and switch."The newest addition to the growing garbage heap of AI-generated nothingstuff continuing to clog the web? Generic, shoddily-written, allegedly AI-generated travel guides, flooding Amazon en masse in recent months., the sham guides often claim to be written by acclaimed travel authors, with scammers also sometimes taking the time to mislead potential customers by whipping up phony 5-star reviews.
"This was a rip-off. It has the most generic info [about] Paris that anyone planning a trip has already gathered in planning the trip. It is NOT the ultimate super cheap guide, as it offers NO such info," reads a one-star review on aParis Travel Guide 2023: The ultimate super cheap guide to the city of love," written by a user named Katherine.
"This is fraudulent advertising and what we call bait and switch," they added. "How pathetic. DO NOT BUY THIS."If you're sharp enough, and paying attention, you'll be able to see the warning signs of AI generation in many of the listings. Per the, author profiles — if they exist — are comically vague, sometimes featuring blatantly AI-spun profile photos.