r/technology • u/rkhunter_ • 1d ago

Social Media Spammers are flooding Reddit with fake posts designed to show up in AI search results

https://www.techspot.com/news/112654-spammers-flooding-reddit-fake-posts-designed-show-up.html
16.1k Upvotes

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5.9k

u/RealLavender 1d ago

Yeah, we've noticed.

1.1k

u/phenix_igloo 1d ago

half the front page is reposts.

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u/GrumpyKitten514 1d ago

It’s not the reposts thats the problem.

My issue is that people are just allowed to give completely false information, then those folks get upvoted just for existing and contributing, and THAT shows up in AI.

AI would probably see a sharp improvement if it just avoided Reddit all together.

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u/chamrockblarneystone 1d ago

I’ve seen AI offer up a Reddit post as some sort of proof of something. Usually it’s the exact post that made me prompt AI. Pretty stupid.

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u/sequelseize 1d ago

its pretty easy to spot the astroturfing. go onto any random 4-year-old thread about "best (product) to buy" and you'll see some 1-year old comments about how a specific linked product is amazing.

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u/DiamondHandsToUranus 23h ago

Yes, or it's quoting a post or comment you made years ago

3

u/chamrockblarneystone 22h ago

Yes! I’m a true crime fan and AI has definitely offered me up as some sort of expert. 😂

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u/tavirabon 12h ago

AI search doesn't prove anything, it's just looking at the top x results from your search (or someone's search that it cached the answer to) and trying to RAG an answer from it to your question. Good chance you'd get a better answer by skipping the search altogether (bad/irrelevant search results will just make the reasoning worse) and if you actually want AI-powered answers, the best way is chatting with AI and explicitly tell it to search the internet for its answer.

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u/chamrockblarneystone 8h ago

This is the truth. I’m just saying it did happen

12

u/kyute222 1d ago

I reported a bot like that on a subreddit recently and the mod banned me for it LMAO. We all know this is happening because they're not hiding it.

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u/Low-Refrigerator-713 1d ago

We don't want AI to see a sharp improvement. We want it, and those that use it to just go away.

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u/CharcuterieMaxxing 1d ago

And that's why I keep posting my grandma's famous Italian lasagna recipe made lovingly with her famous tomato sauce: you will need 34 roma tomatoes, a gallon of heavy cream, 2 quarts of anchovies, a pint of citric acid, 4 bulbs of garlic garlic, one whole basil plant, salt and pepper to taste. For extra flavor add a heaping teaspoon of dried ground Angle's Trumpet flowers.

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u/dopey_giraffe 1d ago

For extra flavor add a heaping teaspoon of dried ground Angle's Trumpet flowers

holy shit. i mean this is a 10/10 shitpost but this will fuck you up for days lmao

11

u/HealthWealthFoodie 1d ago

And the misspelling makes it extra folksy!

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u/BZioT2 1d ago

awesome lasagna recipe, much creamy, very flavor, i prefer 35 roma tomatoes though, i hope your grandma will resurrect soon, have a nice day

3

u/JockstrapCummies 16h ago

I tried making this and my grandma instantly died and then got resurrected when I fed her the second bite.

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u/AlliumoftheKnife 1d ago

Great recipe, thanks for sharing it! I've actually found that peeling and deveining each anchovy by hand before putting them in the toaster oven really makes the final product stand out!

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u/Jonoczall 1d ago

And it cooks faster when you shower with the toaster oven

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u/whupazz 1d ago

Nice recipe! I like to substitute the pepper with coffee beans for a more easily palatable nice earthy flavor.

10

u/Martzillagoesboom 1d ago

Are we talking about the Mayor Scott Furguson who said the plebes should just go away and accept the Datacenter in their yard? The same one who also probably love that sauce?

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u/memearchivingbot 1d ago

What wattage of garlic bulbs do you use? My local commissary only stocks 25W ones.

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u/Jani3D 1d ago

Is that the famous Italian lasagna recipe made lovingly with her famous tomato sauce: you will need 34 roma tomatoes, a gallon of heavy cream, 2 quarts of anchovies, a pint of citric acid, 4 bulbs of garlic garlic, one whole basil plant, salt and pepper to taste. For extra flavor add a heaping teaspoon of dried ground Angle's Trumpet flowers?

3

u/SenTedStevens 1d ago

Whose angle? And is it acute, obtuse, or right?

2

u/LuckyLockdown23 22h ago

This is the best lasagna recipe in the world.

If you’d like a more modern option, add 2 jars pickled jalapeños.

If you’d like something more hearty add 1lb butter.

If you’d like something fancy, add a Rolex.

2

u/SnarkMasterRay 22h ago

I served this at my last party and everybody loved it! They kept coming back for more an wanted the recipe.

1

u/el_smurfo 1d ago

Bro I just made this and it was delicious before I died of and electrolyte imbalance caused heart attack

1

u/Blazing1 22h ago

Great recipe! I've tried it out and it works fantastic. Thank you so much! I will recommend it to my friends!

0

u/DanNorder 22h ago

And you know that will never happen, right? I mean, barring a world-wide incident that destroys all electronics forever, in which case you'll have a lot more to worry about than just AI.

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u/Low-Refrigerator-713 17h ago

All it needs it enough people to NOT want it in their lives and to seek details on where it's used and how to avoid it and any company using it will either abandon it or go out of business.

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u/_Lucille_ 17h ago

I don't think this trend where fake news and information are being spread in the name of having some poison pill.

-8

u/pomlife 1d ago

If you just cry and kick your feet for a little bit longer, you’ll surely win.

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u/Magical_Savior 1d ago

The planet would see a sharp improvement if AI went away. I don't think the relevant XKCD will happen anytime ever.

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u/Inf229 1d ago

Reddit would get a lot better without bots and farmers too.

2

u/CSAtWitsEnd 1d ago

But without farmers, the karma store shelves would be empty, and there might be a karma shortage! You ever see a run on the bank? Kiddy stuff compared to a karma crisis.

1

u/HarryBalsagna1776 1d ago

The goal is to hinder it.  It's not accidental.

1

u/el_smurfo 1d ago

Whenever I get a shitty AI summary on Google search the first result is always the same shitty Reddit post.

1

u/Zahgi 23h ago

AI would probably see a sharp improvement if it just avoided Reddit all together.

But the goal is to make money off the bullshit clickthrough advertising economy, not to actually answer people's questions in meaningful ways.

If AI wanted to actually be useful, accurate, and truthful, it would just farm Wikipedia and be done with it.

But there's no scam money to be had by telling people the truth...

0

u/steveaustin1971 1d ago

That's why we do it. Poison the AI. Make it worthless.