• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, August 30, 2024

AI has been used to create fake reviews in app stores, according to recent data. And while many anticipated this twist, it artificially inflates an app's credibility and gets people to download potentially harmful or deceptive content.

Media measurement company DoubleVerify found that among apps with thousands of five-star ratings, many have been generated with AI across mobile to streaming apps found in stores. Some use subtle, coordinated AI deception, while others are more obvious.

DoubleVerify reported that AI-generated app reviews occur across all types of app stores, from mobile to streaming services. Analysis of a streaming app on a popular smart TV platform revealed that 50% of its reviews were fake, for example. The company used a combination of proprietary technology and human analysis to identify manipulation signals.

DoubleVerify's Fraud Lab has seen a significant increase in apps with AI-powered fake reviews in 2024, identifying more than three times the number compared with the same period in 2023. This trend could dramatically impact advertisers, especially in streaming, where the cost per thousand impressions often ranges between $35 and $65.

Spammy ads inside these apps can affect machines even after uninstalling the content. Code in the AI-generated reviews can hijack devices and run ads nonstop, even when devices appear to be turned off.

The study suggests that users who download these apps often get bombarded with an overwhelming number of out-of-context ads. It disrupts the user experience and diminishes the app's long-term viability. The apps oven gets uninstall, but even then, the coding can affect a machine.

They can drain batteries, make the device overheat, cause device malfunctions or shutdowns, and can be difficult to remove.

DoubleVerify first identified the surge in mobile in-app ad fraud in 2023. Now the company has found reviews with similar wording, which suggests fake comments generated by AI.

The app, characterized as “a breeze” to find or install in some reviews, per DoubleVerify, exhibited high levels of CycloneBot traffic -- a fraud scheme that hit connected television earlier this year.

It shows how fraudulent apps act as a cover for fake CTV traffic, the company reported. The counterfeit reviews help make the fraudulent traffic seem more legitimate.