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As artificial intelligence continues to integrate into everyday tools, even industries that were once purely hands-on, like plumbing, are being impacted by AI.
While plumbing services remain a physical in-person task, online feedback is increasingly popular and now plays a vital role in this industry.
This study analyzes 1,611 plumber reviews across Canadian cities using the Originality AI detector and AI detection scores to understand the prevalence, growth, and nature of AI-generated reviews.
The study uncovers how generative AI is being leveraged and impacting the digital presence of traditional offline service sectors, with a focus on plumbing services.
This study examines the emergence and growth of AI-generated content in consumer reviews within the Canadian plumbing industry from 2020 to 2025.
To guide this investigation, we focus on the following key questions:
Ultimately, this research seeks to quantify the growing influence of generative AI on digital feedback in the plumbing sector and shed light on how such trends may impact consumer behavior, business ethics, and the overall trust economy in online marketplaces.
The data in this study revealed a clear and steady increase in the use of AI content in plumber reviews, notably since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022.
While AI-written reviews were negligible at the beginning of 2020, they are now an increasingly visible aspect of the industry.
In 2020, AI reviews accounted for just 2.6% of all reviews. By 2021 and 2022, the growth was gradual, with 2.9% and 3.3% respectively.
However, in 2023, the trend shifted sharply and jumped to 8.1%, more than doubling the previous year. This surge aligns closely with the public release dates of popular LLM tools like ChatGPT (launched in 2022) and marks a pivotal point in AI accessibility and application.
The upward momentum continued in 2024, where 9.6% of reviews were classified as likely AI-generated, and again in 2025, reaching 12.7%.
The rapid growth suggests that AI is not only becoming more accessible to people but is also being used as a tool by businesses to boost their sales and manage their reputation.
Out of the total 1,611 reviews analyzed in the plumbing industry:
The presence of 8% AI reviews across the entire dataset reflects a broader, significant shift in how even the most traditionally offline industry, like plumbing, is now utilizing AI technology.
This becomes even more evident when taking a look at the overall upward trend in AI reviews in the plumbing sector since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022.
Additionally, each city revealed a different prevalence of AI-generated content.
The differences in prevalence indicate that AI adoption in reviews is not uniform across Canadian cities, and some regions are more likely than others to utilize AI-written reviews.
Another key insight from this analysis is the clear skew towards positivity in AI reviews.
We found that 73.3% of AI classified reviews were positive with an average rating of 5 stars (as illustrated in the pie chart).
This indicates that most AI-classified content was not just neutral or informative but primarily positive in sentiment. This may be a result of using AI as a reputational tool to boost business sales and bolster online image.
Interestingly, while the majority of AI reviews were 5-star, the second largest segment in AI classified reviews is 1-star reviews at 22.1%.
This reveals the double-edged sword of unchecked AI use and the potential for it to be used negatively. Fake negative reviews can damage business credibility and lead to lost sales or trust, especially in a service industry like plumbing, where every review counts.
The results here raise serious ethical concerns. Customers rely on reviews to make informed decisions. When those reviews are no longer a reflection of actual experiences, the integrity of online feedback is at great risk.
Over time, trust could erode not only in specific businesses but also in the validity of online reviews altogether.
In industries like plumbing, where trust is vital, a growing presence of AI-generated feedback introduces both opportunity and risk.
On one hand, businesses may use AI for reputation management, maintaining consistency in messaging, or responding to customers' interactions in a quick manner.
On the other hand, without moderations in place and clear disclosures, falsely generated reviews can mislead consumers, create unfair competitive advantages, and reduce the overall integrity of online feedback.
The plumbing industry may seem like an unlikely place for artificial intelligence to take root. However, the data tells us a different story. AI reviews are here and are growing at a rapid rate.
While AI offers great benefits such as tools for efficiency and growth, unchecked usage, particularly in customer reviews, threatens the integrity of digital trust.
It is, therefore, worthwhile for businesses and consumers to invest in AI detection and moderation tools to maintain trust.
Wondering whether a post or review you’re reading might be AI-generated? Use the Originality.ai AI detector to find out.
Read more about the impact of AI:
Data Source:
Data was collected using a local business API on RapidAPI, which leverages Google Maps to retrieve information via unique business IDs.
The study focused on 100 plumbers across 10 major Canadian cities (e.g., Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal). Reviews were collected, cleaned (removing duplicates, nulls, and irrelevant entries), and filtered to include only reviews from 2020 on with 100+ words. The final dataset comprised 1,611 reviews.
AI Detection & Scoring:
Filtered reviews were analyzed using the Originality.AI API, capturing two scores:
Each review also included metadata such as plumber name, city, average rating, review rating, and the AI scores. These formed the basis for further analysis discussed in the article.
