AI Walmart Reviews Surged by 80.8% — Then Stalled from 2023 to 2024

Customer reviews are critical to informing customer decisions and can impact a brand’s reputation. With the widespread availability of AI tools, there is a rising concern that some online reviews may be artificially generated.

The implications of this are notable, due to fake reviews potentially misleading consumers and distorting perceptions of product quality.

From previous studies, we’ve seen countless examples of the impact of AI in reviews across Flipkart, Alibaba Shopping App, AliExpress, and TripAdvisor.

This study focuses specifically on the Walmart mobile application, one of the most popular e-commerce platforms with 1 Million+ downloads. 

By systematically analyzing a representative sample of product reviews from the Walmart app, this research aims to quantify the extent of AI-generated content and identify patterns related to product categories, consumer sentiment, and temporal trends.

Objectives of the Study

• The aim of this study was to analyze the use of generative AI within Walmart reviews, identifying the likelihood that they were AI-generated.
• We also wanted to track the percentage of AI-generated reviews year on year from 2019 to 2024.
• Lastly, we wanted to study the rate at which AI reviews were potentially increasing to identify any potential trends and forecast future potential implications.

Key Takeaways (TL;DR)

• 2019 to 2023: AI reviews on Walmart increased by 80.8%.
• In 2019, AI Walmart reviews were at just 4.31%.
• Then, AI Walmart reviews surged to 7.8%:
  
  • AI Walmart reviews = 7.79% in 2023
  • AI Walmart reviews = 7.75% in 2024
• So, from 2019 to 2023, AI Walmart reviews saw a steady yet discernible increase.
• Then, from 2023 to 2024, AI use stalled, hovering around 7.8%.
• This could indicate that user interest in AI tools for Walmart reviews has plateaued, or that Walmart has begun moderating AI content.

2019 to 2023: AI Walmart Reviews Grew by 80.8%

The analysis of AI reviews on the Walmart app from 2019 to 2023 reveals a noticeable upward trend in AI content.

• In 2019, the rate of reviews identified as AI-generated was approximately 4.31%, which gradually increased over the subsequent years. 
• By 2020, this rate rose to 4.55%, a modest 5.6% increase from the previous year. 
• In 2021, the AI-generated review rate reached 5.19%, followed by 5.40% in 2022, showing consistent, incremental growth. 
• However, a significant jump occurred, and the rate surged to 7.8%.
  
  • In 2023, AI Walmart reviews reached 7.79%. 
  • In 2024, AI Walmart reviews remained high at 7.75%.

This represents an overall 80.8% increase in AI reviews from 2019 to 2023.

While the rate of AI reviews was initially slow, the trend began to accelerate, suggesting broader adoption of AI text-generation tools over time.

Such a marked rise suggests that AI content generation tools — such as ChatGPT and similar technologies — may be increasingly used to write app reviews, whether by users, developers, or third parties.

However, it’s worth noting that from 2023 to 2024, the rate of AI-generated reviews on Walmart stalled at 7.8%. Suggesting that initial interest in AI tools to create reviews on Walmart may have reached a plateau.

Alternatively, Walmart may have integrated moderation tools for AI detection to monitor the use of AI content on their app.

In 2024, 7.8% of Walmart Reviews Were Likely AI

The sharp rise in AI-generated reviews from 2022 to 2023, and the presence of 7.8% AI reviews on Walmart in 2024 (depicted in the pie chart above), suggests a shift in how frequently people and brands are relying on generative AI for producing reviews.

This increase in usage can likely be attributed to the significant improvements to generative AI models as they become more accessible and integrated into daily life. 

Implications of AI Walmart Reviews

This trend has important implications. The growing presence of AI-generated content could impact consumer trust and decision-making, particularly if AI reviews are used to manipulate product ratings or misrepresent customer sentiment. 

Retail platforms like Walmart may need to consider enhancing their detection and moderation systems to ensure review authenticity and maintain consumer confidence.

As we move into 2025, it will be critical to continue monitoring these rates to understand how the influence of AI-generated content evolves in digital marketplaces

Final Thoughts

In summary, the results of this study show that generative AI’s influence continues to grow in online marketplaces, further highlighting the importance of robust AI content detectors and consumer awareness.

From our findings, it’s clear that a significant portion of Walmart reviews show all the tell-tale signs consistent with AI generation.

With e-commerce continuing to grow and customer reviews remaining one of the most important brand trust indicators, Walmart must consider the following:

• Take proactive steps to detect and maintain low levels of AI-generated content.
• Integrate trustworthy AI detection tools during the review publication phase.
• Implement policy updates to handle the ethical implications of automated content.

Considering the plateau in AI content on Walmart Reviews from 2023 to 2024, they may already be integrating moderation tools into the platform. We’ll monitor this trend in time to see if the plateau is temporary or continues.

Do you have concerns over 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 on online platforms: 

• 376.3% Increase in AI Glassdoor Reviews for S&P 500 Companies: 2022 to 2024
• Reddit AI Posts Increased by 146.3% From 2021 to 2024
• From 2019 to 2024: AI-generated Google Reviews Increased by 279.2%
• Fake AI Airbnb Reviews Increased By 209% From 2020 to 2024
• Amount of AI Content in Google Search Results

Methodology

This study used a systematic approach involving data collection, preprocessing, AI detection, and analysis to assess AI-generated customer reviews on the Walmart mobile app. 

• A dataset of reviews was collected in CSV format, including attributes like review ID, content, ratings, thumbs-up counts, timestamps, replies, and app source.
• Reviews with fewer than 50 words were excluded to meet the Originality.ai detection model's requirements, ensuring accurate results. 
• Eligible reviews were sent to the Originality.ai API, which returned an AI likelihood score and a binary classification (AI or human). Error handling was implemented to retry failed API calls up to three times.
• Processed data, including detection metrics, was saved in batches of 500 to avoid loss.

The final dataset was analyzed for patterns in AI-generated content, including overall prevalence, correlations with ratings or engagement, and time-based trends.

This structured method enabled a reliable assessment of AI-generated reviews, offering insights into their potential impact on consumer behavior and retail practices.