AI text assistant does more harm than good
Summary: The discussion critically questions the use of AI for product descriptions on online platforms. imperial-modellbau and other participants express concerns that the AI provides inaccurate and potentially dangerous descriptions, especially for products that could pose safety or health risks. It is argued that certain categories of items, such as medical devices or chemicals, should be excluded from the use of AI. In addition, it is criticized that there is no sufficient control or regulation of AI descriptions, which could lead to an increase in complaints. The participants call for platforms to take on greater responsibility and for improvements in the quality and monitoring of AI-generated texts.
The AI text assistant, which is supposed to help formulate product descriptions, is well-intentioned. However, it means that especially with private sellers, it becomes almost impossible to compare products because the same unspecific description text appears everywhere.
Example: down jacket, used or new
Instead of information about the condition or details about why someone is selling their branded item, which they bought for 1500+ euros, for 300 euros after wearing it only 3 times (credibility check??), you read completely useless marketing drivel in the style of: "Discover the indescribable feeling of cozy warmth when it's storming and snowing."
As a buyer, that's annoying for me, because items that would actually be interesting seem so dubious or are at least not described sufficiently.
mr.word
·4 months agoAbsolutely right.
With "AI" there are only bloated, content-free texts WITHOUT any details about the offer.
Unfortunately, many, mostly private sellers now use this
without using their own brains to make use of this pointless babble as an item description, usually also without pointing out special features, any damage or age-related defects.
imperial-modellbau
·5 months agoBesides, I'm not only in favor of Carthage being destroyed - but also of that idiotic AI description disappearing again.
And if not entirely, then at least in the areas that were already mentioned ! ! !
thbeck_de
·5 months agoYou can then gladly discuss that with the AI that processes the improvement suggestions...
turbotuentchen
·5 months agoHey,
if it were only the order confirmation ?!
Delivery times, prices are determined by the AI,
depending on the settings tool, shipping methods and costs.....
the AI is conquering more and more areas:
The seller is only becoming the supplier
(I won't write any more about that)
voli-maus
·5 months agoThen we won't need to think at all soon?
That's already the case with some people today......
thbeck_de
·5 months agoAnd I thought I was exaggerating...
imperial-modellbau
·5 months agoHello @thbeck_de
no, not really - that's the sad thing ! ! ! ☹️
mrkuros
·8 months agoI hope ebay doesn’t get the idea of using an AI in the community
be242
·8 months agoI wouldn't call this botched job, cobbled together with a hot needle, AI (artificial intelligence). It merely pastes the features entered by the seller together with a bit of filler text and then presents it as an "article description".
In some cases, the end product is so distorted that it misses the actual item by miles. And yes, it is junk. But that's the sign of the times - there are quite a few people who are completely overwhelmed by having to quickly write 2 or 3 sentences of sensible text for their items. And then the buyer gets annoyed because the item they receive doesn't match the description at all.
imperial-modellbau
·8 months agoHello @miriam@ebay
do you know what really bothers me?
NOT that there will presumably be more and more cases soon because of "does not match the description" - after all, you have to deal with that, and that's what you're paid for!
NOT that eBay makes itself look ridiculous with such a really badly programmed algorithm - at least it does sometimes provide some amusement in between!
NOT that this will increase the number of sellers who think they can still do good business with such a crude pseudo-description - fortunately, they give up again just as quickly!
NO, what really bothers me is this:
Right on eBay, where almost every area of commercial selling is interfered with, monitored, patronized, regulated, and disciplined, there is no control whatsoever for the AI descriptions! 😲
And when it comes to items that can pose a health risk, as I wrote above, I have absolutely no understanding for that! 😠
In my opinion, AI descriptions for certain product groups should simply not be available, and for me these include:
- Medical devices
- Chemicals
- Dietary supplements
- Alcohol
- Tobacco products
- could be expanded further, but nothing else comes to mind at the moment.
eBay should become a little more aware of its duty to consumers, and please don't fall back on the argument that eBay is only the intermediary - that is really becoming unbelievable now!
voli-maus
·8 months agoHm, used shoes, like really filthy ones, the kind that a certain clientele can “service,” can be listed on eBay, with an AI description.
And you can offer and sell meatballs on eBay; as a private seller
imperial-modellbau
·8 months agoHello @voli-maus
Filthy shoes aren’t a health risk, so personally I wouldn’t care.
But meatballs ...
OK, let’s add food to the list too — to be honest, I hadn’t even realized that stuff like that was offered here - I’ve never looked for it either ! 😧
voli-maus
·8 months agoI'm not looking for homemade Christmas cookies either; they just show up when I view an article.
turbotuentchen
·8 months agoI would like to expand it with live animals, according to eBay guidelines that is not allowed
AI alone at home:
It should be Guppies, not Coppys (you can try it as a VK)
Guppies are small colorful TROPICAL fish; according to the VK they are supposed to be shipped via DHL parcel, which is very questionable at these temperatures.....
and if anyone still wants to bid on crazy rotten liver or goulash from a private seller, here you go:
https://www.ebay.de/sch/i.html?_nkw=gulasch+frisch+wild&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&LH_TitleDesc=0&_odkw=gulasch+frisch&_osacat=0
imperial-modellbau
·8 months agoHello @turbotuentchen
that's doubly outrageous, first not allowed and then with AI description - I'm gonna throw up ! 🤢
@miriam@ebay
just kick them out - that's absolutely not okay at all ! ! ! 😳
schwarzwald_elch
·8 months ago@imperial-modellbau
Thank you very much for your sensible contribution. I’d even go one step further and say: we can completely do without AI
deichchef
·8 months agoYou have to see this positively.
VK uses AI description = stay away
Regards
imperial-modellbau
·8 months agoIf everyone thought that way and acted accordingly, the AI assistant would soon be history!
Unfortunately, that won’t happen, as experience shows! ☹️
imperial-modellbau
·8 months agoToday I had to go shopping again (isopropanol), and what can I say, there are really sellers who use the AI assistant for a chemical! 🙄
Nothing with hazard warnings, nothing with user instructions, etc. - but at least I can dive into the world of professional cleaning! 😳 😂
I then, even though this seller was the cheapest, bought from someone who had a sensible product description!
Sorry @miriam@ebay - but at the latest with products like these, AI becomes dangerous, especially in the hands of incredibly stupid and/or lazy sellers!
molfish
·8 months agoNot satisfied with anything 😂
miriam@ebay
Thanks for the concrete examples, @sisae and @imperial-modellbau - our optional AI tool can help with creating listings, but it does not replace complete and accurate details from the sellers - especially not for tech or chemicals, where buyers need clear information about condition, accessories, or safety aspects.
Your comments show where listing description aids are currently still reaching their limits and how important responsible listing creation remains. I have passed both reports on internally.
Best regards
Miriam
perfect-sally
·8 months agoYour AI replaces pretty much nothing at all! The sellers who use it usually give no item condition or description of it whatsoever, only a meaningless description of the item itself because they think that is enough.
Dive into....... just ridiculous. That isn’t even a description of the item!
The time will come when more returns are opened because items do not match the description!
miriam@ebay
Your criticism, which I have already read from you elsewhere, has been passed on like this, @perfect-sally. Personally, though, I also think it’s good that using the same wording makes it immediately obvious whether the AI description was used or not, so you can adjust to that.
Best regards
Miriam
sisae
·8 months agoHello Miriam,
from this I gather that you also find the AI text equally unnecessary.
Thanks!
Best regards
frank
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·8 months ago@miriam@ebay
Hi Miriam,
I agree with you that an experienced eBay user will recognize the AI descriptions as such right away.
But what about the approx. 90% of inexperienced eBay members? They’re probably often taken in by these marketing buzzwords.
In my opinion, a note about the AI description would be appropriate here.
miriam@ebay
Thanks for this suggestion, @petersmodellbahnstuebchen - I’ve just submitted it, and it was announced yesterday that further improvements to this feature are currently being reviewed - good timing then 😉.
Best regards
Miriam
primanovo
·9 months agoI have to smile.
Ebay doesn't even notice !!!
Feedback on this is pointless!!!
Conclusion:
Keep laughing and ignore listings with AI descriptions.
elektron1942
·9 months agothe AI doesn’t react at all!??
molfish
·9 months agoGood morning,
Be glad
sisae
·9 months agoCan we let this arrive on eBay? These texts are so stupid and empty that I usually close the listings straight away too.
miriam@ebay
Hello @sisae - do you have a specific example that we can use to pass your feedback on to the relevant department again?
It is to be expected that AI for item descriptions will continue to improve in the future, as part of the general developments in the field of artificial intelligence.
Thanks and best regards
Miriam
over_dog
·9 months agoHello, regarding the AI description, eBay should think about whether it wants to be taken seriously!!! Most adult people don't watch Teletubbies!!!!
Regards
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·9 months ago@miriam@ebay
Hi Miriam, I’m not @sisae , but I’d be happy to provide an example.
This is what the AI makes out of one of my current listings (157412768508):
That’s just laughable to customers who actually know something about model railways. Just a flowery description of the item features that were already visible before.
turbotuentchen
·9 months agoHi,
used to laugh at / get annoyed by the automatic translation of foreign offers, now by the AI description 😎
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·9 months agoHi @turbotuentchen
so true😉, especially when it came to translating magazine / book titles:
From "Eisenbahn-Magazin" (German magazine) it then became "railway magazine" (American magazine) -> misunderstandings from foreign customers were built in from the start.
After a few quick test runs, I stopped this action right away.
molfish
·9 months agoIt probably means AI stands for "No Intelligence" or something like that.
When I see AI descriptions, I'm out right away, and we already brought up this topic in another group without any success.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·9 months agoHey @molfish
I would only correct your answer in one place:
Not AI = No intelligence, but AI = Small intelligence
Mathematically, there is already a difference between 0.00 and 0.000000001. That much time is necessary.🤔
321bestparts
·8 months agoHallo @miriam@ebay ,
da kann ich mich wirklich nur @over_dog anschließen.
Der gleich Mist ist die Ki au der Hilfeseite die seit, ich glaube über 2-3 Jahre läuft. Was soll da besser werden und wann?
Das Einzige, die Verbindung zum telefonischen KD geht jetzt etwas schneller.
Um dann mit einem MA in Kalkutta oder sonstwo verbunden zu werden, der das System nur rudimentär kennt und der Deutschen Sprache nicht wirklich mächtig ist (‼️ sachliche Feststellung nicht rechts gedacht‼️) und damit wertvolle Zeit vergeudet
knecht-ruprecht66
·4 months agoHi Miriam,
Contrary to your optimistic assumption, "It is to be expected that the AI for article descriptions will continue to improve in the future, as part of the general developments in the field of artificial intelligence," nothing has improved in recent months. As long as this crappy AI just embeds keywords in pseudo-jibber-jabber texts, it is of no help to either sellers or buyers. Please turn it off!
Best regards
Rolf
miriam@ebay
Hello @knecht-ruprecht66 and thanks for your feedback. At the moment, it’s actually the case that we’re in the middle of further developing our AI features and want to make them accessible to more users step by step. There’s a lot happening behind the scenes right now - even if, unfortunately, I can’t tell you anything definite at the moment.
Best regards
Miriam
imperial-modellbau
·4 months agoHello @miriam@ebay
then Ebay should finally let a programmer take care of it who actually knows something about their job! 🙄
Because what has been presented to us for over a year now with no visible improvements (often announced) is embarrassing and in some cases even dangerous! ! !
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·10 months agoHi @cgoldfinger
I can only completely agree with you. Here's an example of one of my offers:
AI text:
Marketing speak, combined with some product features, with one major error (EAN = item number)
Original offer:
That raises the question: what does the customer find better 🤔
molfish
·10 months agoThe AI is still learning, isn't that so hard to understand 😂😂😂
terri131719
·10 months agoMorning boss - yesss, but what 😎
molfish
·10 months agoWaffle German
321bestparts
·8 months ago@molfish ...that shouldn’t be our problem!
....and we’re the guinea pig — for years now!? No thanks.
miriam@ebay
Thanks for sharing your observations, @cgoldfinger! We understand your point and will pass along the specific example as feedback to the people responsible.
Even if AI-assisted tools are meant to make listing items even easier in the future, it remains important that offers can still be compared well and that the descriptions remain meaningful.
Best regards
Miriam
sisae
·8 months agoAs an example: today I was looking for a Mitel 6920. That’s a widely used VOIP phone for office use.
The eBay AI spews out (and the seller lazily adopts) the following pointless text:
"The Mitel 6920 IP phone is ideal for use in the office and offers reliable VoIP communication via the SIP protocol. With its elegant black design, it fits perfectly into any office environment. The unit of measure is one unit and a single unit is delivered. This phone is an indispensable tool for office communication and belongs to the category of telephone systems and accessories. Perfect for companies that need efficient and professional communication."
The text is as useful as a grain of dust in your eye. The product name can be arbitrarily used for other devices in the same category. If it’s gray, then it’s elegant gray design.
The AI was trained to use as many positive adjectives as possible, usually the word "perfect", along with "elegant" fairly often, and for technical devices "reliable" and in a business context "efficient" and "professional".
That’s also how it happens that the AI suggests a cozy sweat jumper as an elegant outfit for an evening event. Have fun that evening!
What I simply want to know is: has the device been tested, has it been cleaned, is a power supply included (not needed for telephone systems, but yes for a single-office setup)?
I could write a message to the seller and ask. But I can also take the offer from a provider who is able to write 5 words themselves, and leaves out the pointless AI crap:
"Fully functional, cleaned, with power supply".
Just think about it.
tsblack
·6 months agobesonders in der sogenannten "Hilfe" sind KI-generierte Antwort-Texte so realitätsfern wie die erwiesene Tatsache, daß die Ki keine Probleme verstehen, erfassen, verarbeiten oder lösen kann.
Ich habe bereits vor längeren auf Bewertungsportalen gepostet : << KI kann Kundendienst unterstützen, wenn sie diesen ersetzt, muß das schiefgehen>> bei ebay ist dies gesichert bestätigt
MFG tsblack - demnächst ex-kunde nach 12 jahren
miriam@ebay
Thanks for your feedback, @tsblack. The automatic assistant shown on the help pages is not AI that thinks for itself. It is currently a rule-based bot that draws on question-and-answer patterns learned beforehand. It can categorize content, but it cannot understand or assess individual problems.
Can we support you with your concern via the Community? As I can see, you are now also in contact with our customer service staff by email.
After 12 years at eBay, we would hate to lose you.
Kind regards
Miriam
01riot
·5 months agoNow, let’s be completely honest... eBay is actually contradicting its own principles with these AI-generated descriptions.
The descriptions are supposed to reflect the exact condition of the item, as stated in the principles:
"The item description is a very important part of your listing. It helps buyers decide whether to buy an item and what they can expect when they buy it.
How is an AI supposed to recognize the item condition or even know it at all?
That just doesn’t work at all.
And on top of that, these AI-generated descriptions are simply confusing and not clear at all.
I honestly don’t know what the 'decision-makers' at eBay are thinking. AI is being rolled out everywhere, without rhyme or reason, and then it’s constantly being talked up, justified, and downplayed.
To emphasize it one more time clearly:
eBay is contradicting its own principles with these AI descriptions!
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·5 months agoHey @01riot
even though I'm really not a fan (to put it politely) of AI in the item description, I don't think its use conflicts with the principles mentioned:
Don't forget: Nobody is forced to use AI, so far it's only a tool and not mandatory (yet).
01riot
·5 months agoI see it differently.
Here’s just one example: 168143294746
There’s just nonsense in there.
And a seller uses what is provided to him.
Whether he’s too lazy or not is completely irrelevant.
Especially since, as a ‘connoisseur’, you can clearly see that the model is not original, but has already been opened, modified, and repainted. The AI can’t recognize that; it simply describes the model in a woolly and sugar-coated way.
The seller even states “used” as the condition, as well as the color, the model, the manufacturer, and the scale, which is also completely fine, and yet the AI spits out a random, woolly, sugar-coated text without mentioning the used condition.
And that is exactly what I mean, that it goes against the principles regarding item condition in the description, especially since it is also confusing and not clear.
“this collectible impresses with its lifelike colors in red and brown as well as its high-quality craftsmanship” - What?
“The model bears manufacturer number 217 and comes from France, which makes it a must-have for lovers of car and transport models.” - Why is that a criterion and a must-have?
On top of that comes the asking price, which is an absolute outrage.
For me, this borders on fraud, because people who don’t know any better think from this babble that it’s something very special.
For me, the AI clearly contradicts the principles regarding the item description.
01riot
·5 months ago@petersmodellbahnstuebchen
By the way, it would actually be interesting to see what the AI would come up with if the seller had described the condition as "reworked" or something like that.
I'm pretty sure the AI would still "draw" a beautiful picture of the model, even though it looks like [beep].
The AI doesn't recognize the condition and then simply writes a text based on a few details that has absolutely nothing to do with the item's actual condition.
Better to leave out the description than have such nonsense.
And eBay officially offers the seller that nonsense anyway, so why shouldn't he use it?
kenn-i-di-1
·5 months agoBecause a user could also use their own intelligence once in a while (if available) and, after reading the text generated by the AI, delete it immediately and take action themselves.
01riot
·5 months agoPointless argument, which only plays into eBay's hands.
Does anyone here really seriously believe that the responsible decision-makers will take action if users think the way you do?
No, they don't care, because then they realize that users will continue to hold the sellers responsible for using these 'tools'.
But sellers use what is offered to them.
And that's it from me now too.
Carry on like this, keep discussing this nonsense and nothing will change anyway, because I already brought up this topic some time ago.
Then the eBay 'Community-Team' can keep writing that they pass on criticism about it.
Whether they actually do that, nobody knows anyway, and whether it reaches the people responsible and whether they care at all, neither.
Because it's like in politics, you can write and say a lot, but usually nothing happens - only when it becomes critical for the responsible decision-makers.
imperial-modellbau
·5 months agoHello @01riot
still, @petersmodellbahnstuebchen is completely right - in the end, the seller is responsible for the nonsense that that equally nonsensical AI spits out.
If he’s too lazy or too stupid to recognize that himself, then the seller just has to expect a higher number of cases of "not as described" and is entirely rightly dealing with the resulting hassle, and in my opinion deserves no sympathy whatsoever!
If enough buyers complain, hopefully that will quickly put an end to the AI description too!
But that doesn’t change the fact that its use should be ruled out for certain areas, as I mentioned some in reply no. 40!
What’s the situation with that actually @miriam@ebay???
01riot
·5 months agoOnce again here: The seller is no longer responsible for it, because eBay takes the work off their hands.
Then why on earth offer such a nonsensical text generator if sellers still have to revise everything again anyway because it only contains nonsense?
The sellers who use this are not too lazy either; they use what is offered to them and that’s that! If you don’t understand that, then I’m sorry.
Ebay offers this to make listing easier, and that’s all it’s about. You can’t then hold the sellers who use this 'tool' responsible for it.
And @cgoldfinger is absolutely right that this generator does more harm than good.
That is my personal opinion on the matter.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·5 months agoHey @01riot
I don't know which categories this condition is offered in, since I don't use it.
But still I stand by my opinion that nobody has to use this AI must, but rather is themselves responsible for the details in the item description.
Nowhere does it say that supervised selling is offered here.
Whether this offer from Ebay, no matter how you feel about it, is accepted is something every seller has to decide for themselves. I've already posted my opinion on the sense or nonsense of this AI enough in other threads.
And whether a seller uses what is made available to them is their own decision. They have to bear the consequences of that decision themselves.
That has nothing to do with Ebay, and Ebay is not responsible for the use of optional offers.
01riot
·5 months agoApparently you don't understand it, or you don't want to understand it.
It doesn't matter at all whether a seller uses it or not. If it's offered, then it will also be used. Nobody can hold the seller responsible for that.
But I can already see it, once again the blame is being shoved onto the users at all costs, as if they were responsible for it themselves. But in this case, they simply aren't.
If eBay offers it, then it will also be used - end of story!
And eBay will continue to push this AI-assisted description, and sellers, especially private ones, will surely use it more and more if this is how it continues to be handled.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·5 months agoHi @01riot
if a seller publishes such an offer and doesn’t check the text sufficiently for correctness, it is the seller who is violating the guidelines, not the optional AI.
And the item price has absolutely nothing to do with the AI.
01riot
·5 months agoThat's not true.
If eBay offers this AI description, then eBay is taking the seller out of the equation.
Why should the seller check the description again?
You might as well leave out the AI-generated descriptions altogether if the seller is then supposed to revise them again; in that case they could just write the description themselves.
And of course the item price has nothing to do with the AI, that wasn't what I meant at all.
But since the seller sets it so high, which of course they can do, then the AI description suggests a very special model.
Here's an example of how the AI phrases the information about repainted models, 168161200668 .
In the end, the seller does everything correctly, states in the description that they are painted, and the AI phrases it like this:
"Dive into the world of model building with these two exquisite Hot Wheels Corvette Stingrays from the 1980s, showcasing a complete paint job. Ideal for collectors and lovers of car and traffic models, these miniature cars represent the perfect addition to any collection. With their detailed design and high-quality paint finish, they are a real eye-catcher in any display case."
What is this nonsense supposed to be?
And once again I notice how eBay gets away with this nonsense, because there are people who defend everything, even though more and more complaints are being made about it, including on Reddit.
And really, it's even an insult to an AI to call this cheap and useless text generator AI, because what this generator spits out there is utter nonsense.
In my opinion, AI is being used completely wrong anyway, but that's a different topic.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·5 months agoMoin @01riot
"Why should the seller check the description again then?"
Because the seller is ultimately responsible for his offer and his item description.
And that has nothing to do with any optional offers from Ebay. By the way, there are plenty of other ones too:
Do I have to accept any of that? -> no
I have already written my opinion on the pointlessness / especially the absurdity of this development.
And I don't care what is written about it in other forums, because whether I use an Ebay option for my listings or not is my decision alone, not Ebay's, not some external forums, and not some other user.
"And of course the item price has nothing to do with AI, that's not what I meant either.
But since the seller sets it so high, which he can certainly do, this suggests a very special model with the help of the AI description."
For me as a buyer, a crazy price doesn't suggest a special model, but rather the fact that the seller has no idea about the market prices currently achievable or doesn't really want to sell it.
That ends the discussion for me here.
bootyooty
·10 months agoNot just that:
The AI is making some sellers even lazier when it comes to the descriptions.
Especially in the clothing category - private sellers - all measurements are missing, nothing is described anymore.
Shown is a blue jacket, the photo shows a gray one.
And every now and then it's upside down too.
Everyone knows that a size M doesn't always fit like a size M, so measurements are simply essential.
By now I just keep scrolling without mercy when I come across such a "silly" and meaningless AI description.
sammlerkiste-1-2-3
·10 months agoI completely agree .... best to stay away from items where the description was created with AI, you can assume the seller has the IQ of a slice of toast if they’re not even capable of describing the item themselves ...
sunrise1605
·10 months agoIQ probably plays less of a role here than laziness, convenience, taking the quickest and easiest route. It usually works too, when other people do the work for you.
perfect-sally
·10 months agoAnd above all, it’s only the item description that’s written by the AI and no item condition at all! That annoys me even more.
I already wrote this once: if the sellers think they have to use the AI, then there will simply be more returns because of "item not as described".
dmary56
·10 months ago@cgoldfinger
I would have gladly given you more than one Kudo... you're so right..
I've gotten to the point where I just ignore offers with AI text...
not only do the texts seem dubious to me, but also sellers who want to get rid of their goods with
the least possible effort....
I'll go ahead and add some more AI now:
"Discover the indescribable feeling of cozy warmth when it's stormy and snowy."
An absolute "must-have" for the dark season, which your friends will be jealous of!