Woolworths has been accused of using an artificial intelligence model like ChatGPT to write a now-deleted product description on its website.
Earlier this week, Reddit user u/novafeels posted a screenshot of a product, Kirin Afternoon Tea Lemon 500ml X 5Pack, on the Woolworths website with a description they claimed was an “unedited blatant” ChatGPT response.
According to the user’s screenshot and an archived version of the website from 13 May, the product’s details section read:
It is a ready-to-drink tea beverage that is made from a blend of tea, lemon juice, and other ingredients. The specific flavor you mentioned, ‘Kirin Afternoon Tea Lemon’, likely refers to a lemon-flavored version of the drink. I [sic]
Woolworths online
The second full sentence is written in a distinctive style similar to that of a generative artificial intelligence language model like ChatGPT answering a question.
An AI text detector released by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, determined it was “likely” that the description was written by some type of artificial intelligence model. A second AI text detector released by Writer.com gave it was 76% detection score, suggesting it was written by AI.
The product’s description has since been updated to remove everything but the first sentence.
Woolworths did not respond with on-the-record comments to questions about the product description. However, Crikey understands that descriptions for products provided as part of Woolworths’ “Everyday Market Partners”, a scheme allowing third parties to sell products on the retailer’s websites while still being responsible for storing and shipping the item. Crikey also understands that Woolworths staff believe the product description was the result of a worker error rather than the misuse of artificial intelligence.
Kirin did not respond to a request for comment.
Artificial intelligence models are already being used across the internet for menial yet resource-intensive tasks like this. Integrations between ChatGPT and products like Google Sheets and other software are allowing people to automate the process of creating all the details necessary to list a product online for sale. Integrations of generative AI models into existing e-commerce software will make it increasingly easier for people to instantaneously create new online storefronts and products at near-zero cost.
While this will help legitimate businesses, it will also allow the proliferation of endless, spammy vendors selling identical products written by the same chatbots all competing for potential customers.
