Everything is an AI scam now

Online advertising has become crowded with implausible products and services: a Tai Chi program promising a superhero physique in 20 days, glasses that supposedly fit any prescription, unlimited internet from a USB stick, tiny air conditioners that cool any room almost instantly, and mobile games that may not exist. The central concern is not simply that these claims are obviously false, but that platforms accept paid advertisements with little apparent verification. Scammers can profit even when most viewers recognize a con, because reaching a small number of victims is enough to make the campaign worthwhile. The result is a steady erosion of trust and a growing burden on people to judge what is real.

The same change is visible in email scams, which now use AI to make generic pitches feel personal. A message promoting the writer’s poetry collection echoed the book description on his website, praising its themes and suggesting that a perfect early rating could lead to more readers. But the collection is already available free, and the pitch was a deceptive attempt to extract money or information - not evidence that anyone had read it. Such tailored messages may be especially persuasive to writers and other creators. The proposed first step is for platforms to verify that advertised products exist, though there is little expectation that major companies will sacrifice ad revenue. Greater vigilance may help, but constantly checking claims is exhausting.