Can A.I. Write A Knife Review?
It is clear that A.I. cannot comprehensively review a pocket knife because it lacks the necessary input from real-world experience. Human experts can still offer an informed opinion on such products, as they have had the opportunity to use and assess them in actual practical situations.
For example, a human reviewer can provide details about how the knife feels in its hand, its cutting performance, and how well it holds its edge over time, all things that would be beyond the scope of machine learning algorithms.
Furthermore, humans possess an ability for abstract thought, which A.I. has yet to emulate. So even if a machine were fed inputs based on real-world data, it still couldn’t correctly analyze and interpret them to explain how sharp a knife was, how it felt when using it or how good the fit and finish was of the item.
A.I. writing is a hot topic, not just when it comes to product reviews and blogging, but in my other world as a SEO expert and web developer. It’s all anyone is talking about. While it can write a funny story and give your simple answers to common questions, it still can’t tell you which knife cuts better; a Spyderco PM2 or Benchmade 940.
A.I. Still Lacks Real-World Experience
As a guy who does knife and gear reviews and goes to great lengths to actually have the item in hand, it’s laughable to think, at this point, machine learning can write a knife review or any actual product review. While A.I. can provide basic data points like weight, size, and specs, it can’t accurately assess the quality or feeling one gets when using a knife in a real-world situation.
Machine learning can give us helpful information about an item, but it can’t provide a comprehensive review which is why reviews from human beings who can actually use and feel the pocket knife are much more accurate and informative than any computer program can ever be.
Most Product Reviews Are Garbage
I have a few friends in the EDC and Watch arena who produce content on Instagram and other social media platforms, and we have been texting a lot about how A.I. could or could not impact the landscape as it relates to product reviews.
On the one hand, using A.I. is no different than many gear review and affiliate marketing websites; they hire cheap writers who have never used the product to write a review. The writer spends a few minutes scanning Amazon reviews, a few YouTube videos, and sometimes the manufacturer’s website, and presto! They have enough info to write a seemingly honest review.
To the untrained or unaware, they have yet to learn that they are taking buying advice from someone who, in many cases, not only doesn’t own the pocketknife or EDC gear in question but is not even involved in the hobby or niche they are writing about. You can read our detailed guide on if online gear reviews are trustworthy here.
Hiring A Cheap Writer Is No Different Than Using A.I.
You can go on several Facebook groups or writing platforms and hire a writer for a few cents per word to pump out a product review, grab a few stock images or steal pics from social media and post a genuinely looking product review on a gear blog. So, in a way, A.I. writers are no different. They are just regurgitating what is already on the internet.
Think about it this way. If more than half of the product reviews already on the internet are written by people with no firsthand experience, then A.I. comes along and uses those pieces of content to scrape as data points for a knife review or product review; how in the world can it be trusted?
Have you ever read a knife review where someone has only good stuff to say about a pocket knife or other item only to buy the item in question and wonder if they are talking about the same thing?
Is It Easy To Detect An A.I. Written Product Review?
How can you tell if an A.I. writer or computer program wrote a product review? One can tell because the assessment can often be long-winded and contain lots of information that has been repurposed from other parts of the web. These types of reviews are a telltale sign that an A.I. was involved in writing it.
The thing about artificial intelligence is that real-world experience is necessary for it to provide insight or analysis on how a product will perform in practice as compared to just reading up on what others think about it. A pocket knife can only be tested when you use it, and to do this requires more than just research and data mining – it requires real-life experience.
As such, many people have realized that while computers are good at crunching numbers and collecting facts, they can’t give us any useful, real-world experience perspective. If you’re looking for an honest review of a pocket knife, can A.I. provide it? The short answer is no – A.I. can’t give us a reliable opinion on the quality and performance of a pocket knife because it can’t actually use one!
I have written several times on why are reviews are trustworthy as well as the review process we employ when testing knives, watches, gear and other items. The whole team at Tech Writer strives to bring our own unique personal experience to every article. On top of that, we hope our photography speaks for itself and is an obvious sign we have actual, hands-on experience with the item we are reviewing.
Should You Even Consider Using A.I. For Product Reviews?
The other question that has been popping up in Facebook groups and forums is, Should I use A.I. or Chat GPT3 to write product reviews? Again, the answer is no; you should buy the product, take original pictures and write an honest and detailed review. And while you are at it, bring a unique perspective to the table. The best reviews come from people who can provide detailed descriptions of how the item works in various scenarios and its strengths and weaknesses.
At best, A.I. can only collect information from other sources, compile data points and statistics, and analyze them to produce a somewhat accurate prediction on whether or not a product could be suitable for your needs. However, this can never truly replace the experience gained from actually using the pocket knife in action.
Artificial intelligence can’t write a reliable review of a pocket knife because it doesn’t have real-world experience that only humans possess.
Blair Witkowski is an avid watch nut, loves pocket knives and flashlights, and when he is not trying to be a good dad to his nine kids, you will find him running or posting pics on Instagram. Besides writing articles for Tech Writer EDC he is also the founder of Lowcountry Style & Living. In addition to writing, he is focused on improving his client’s websites for his other passion, Search Engine Optimization. His wife Jennifer and he live in coastal South Carolina.