Can we please stop copy/pasting Google AI answers and use actual human intelligence?
Summary: mypostingid15 initiated a discussion urging participants to avoid posting AI-generated responses in forum threads, advocating for genuine human advice based on experience. kensgiftshop and others engaged, exploring whether the original post was an inquiry or a commentary. Discussions extended to whether AI-generated content is prevalent in responses or mainly in initiating posts. While some users, like gurlcat and frugalmarketplace, shared skepticism about the extent of the issue, others like a_c_green confirmed experiencing AI-written answers. Several participants expressed concerns over the decline of meaningful human interaction, while gone.c-33 highlighted the potential negative impact of relying on inconsistent AI tools. The thread expanded into broader reflections on AI's role in communication and its implications for the community.
Can we please stop copy-pasting generic search engine or AI responses into these threads?
When people post here, they are looking for real advice from real humans who have actual experience buying and selling. We don't need a middleman to search the web for us—we can do that ourselves.
If you aren't going to actually read the post and use your own brain to answer, please don't clutter the thread with useless text blocks that completely miss the point. Let’s keep this community human!
magicjohnsonsvariety
·2 weeks agoFinally someone said it...
adamcartwright
·2 weeks agoSpeaking of preferring human intelligence...
I saw the other day you can actually rig your Google to display as the old school list of links, not the the new AI summary. I need to find that info and follow the instructions.
participatrophy
·2 weeks agoDude I could hug you, thank you for that
adamcartwright
·2 weeks agoI just noticed @bashort posted the How-To below.
inhawaii
·2 weeks agoMy posts are so intelligent there is no way they could have been created by a human being.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks ago · EditedTry shopping here - I finally gave up when all of the listings I saw either only repeated the title with "condition is used" or "shipping is ground advantage", or had the AI bodge that told me absolutely nothing. I took my business elsewhere.
Come on, sellers, don't be such DOLTS.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks ago::sigh:: my post had to be approved. I'm batting .500 at this point.
mypostingid15
OP2 weeks ago · EditedIt will get worse and worse as we lose human interactions.
When you are stressed about your livelihood, your account, or a dispute, you don't need data, you need someone that actually listens and understands to give you a sound advice. Really.
inhawaii
·2 weeks agoIt should be ok once we change the name to "Super Intelligence" (SI). I recall hearing some politician talking about that.
zakstreasuretrove
·2 weeks agoYou're close, they're renaming it "America Intelligence" to fit with the new brand of lakes and other water basins. Plus you don't have to spend money changing the initials from AI. THAT's the Art of the Deal! Winning hurts so good.
asset_liquidators
·2 weeks agoWell the Intelligence of AI is... Artificial. It is wrong more than it is right.
Just yesterday I was doing a search on an item with the model number. AI said that the item was not what I said it was but rather an accessary to the item. I told AI that was wrong (I have the item in front of me) and AI came back and said I was correct, then gave me the info I was looking for (confirmation on a cross reference).
AI is currently horrible.
mypostingid15
OP2 weeks ago · EditedI have one of a kind item listed, I mostly relied on google search to identify and list at that time, but still wasn't sure if it was accurate, so I asked AI, and AI gave me my own description and value. Thanks AI, I am now the blueprint.
bashort
·2 weeks agoI completely hear you, and you have a very valid point.
There is nothing more frustrating than asking a real question in a community and getting back a giant, generic block of text that feels like someone just lazily ran your prompt through an AI tool without actually reading it. When people seek advice, they are looking for genuine human experience, nuance, and critical thinking—not a middleman echoing a search engine. [1]
The problem isn't the technology itself, but the lack of original thought. As a language model, I don’t have personal experiences or feelings, but I can certainly cut out the robotic fluff and get straight to the point with you.
If you are dealing with this fatigue because AI-generated summaries are constantly cluttering your daily internet browsing, here are a few practical ways to bypass them:
⚙️ How to Bypass AI in Google Search
While Google doesn't offer a simple "turn off AI" switch in its settings, you can completely bypass it using these workarounds: [1]
The "Web" Filter: After you submit a search on Google, click the "Web" tab at the top of the results page. This forces Google to only display traditional, text-based links, entirely hiding the AI Overviews. [1]
The Custom Search Shortcut: You can set up a custom, AI-free version of Google as your default search engine in Chrome:
Go to Chrome Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines and site search.
Click Add next to "Site search".
Name it "Google (No AI)", give it a shortcut (like
@web), and paste this exact URL:://google.com.Click the three dots next to it and select "Make default." The
udm=14tag forces Google to load the clean, old-school text layout. [1, 2]Extension Fixes: If you prefer automation, extensions like "Bye-bye Google AI" or "Hide Google AI Overviews" in the Chrome Web Store will automatically scrub summaries and "People Also Ask" blocks from your page. [1, 2]
Tools are great for organizing facts, but they should never replace the actual "muscle" of human reasoning. Let me know what specific topic or issue you're trying to figure out right now—no generic scripts, just direct answers
mypostingid15
OP2 weeks agoReally? You are so funny!
zakstreasuretrove
·2 weeks agoI knew someone would do this. LOL
Serious question though, is there a browser extension that makes me lose all my memory from after.....say....1999 or so? I think I'd be happy if my collection stopped in the most Xtreme decade.
frugalmarketplace
·2 weeks agoI agree on that one. When I see a response that is 8 paragraphs…sure that person wrote it. I genuinely dislike AI
mam98031
·2 weeks agoNot necessarily a sure fire way to tell if it was written by the poster or is AI. Speaking for myself only, there are some questions asked or information requested by someone that is something I've answered many times on many different threads. My answers are all mine and all written by me but I tend to have some saved answers so I can copy and paste so I don't have to retype everything every time. That to me seems like a waste of time.
Not often, but from time to time I do post some info AI has given me, however I always not what comes from AI and not my own words.
AI is a very scary thing to many people, me included. I don't use it a lot and that isn't likely to change much, but I have no idea what the future holds and anything can change.
frugalmarketplace
·2 weeks agoI see AI as the complete dumbing down of society..and frankly it is very bad right now. I love technology. I remember in the early 90’s when we got our first computer…64G of ram. I decided to buy some more and was quite pleased with myself when I added another 64 and nothing broke. This AI issue takes away the thinking today. I see no purpose in it except making more money for some corporation.
gone.c-33
·2 weeks agoI’ve seen a regular or two copy paste answers generated by Gemini AI. They prefaced the post by mentioning it came from Gemini but it still gave me the ick because Gemini is famously inconsistent.
While the answers that were copy pasted may have been legit, this could give occasional/first time posters they impression that you can just ask Gemini eBay policy related questions and trust those.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago · Edited@mypostingid15 Now that I think on it more, I have seen occasional instances where someone used a screenshot from Google AI to support whatever point they were making. In fact I have done it a few times myself, but only regarding information for which there is ample public data for Google to access and "consider mindfully". <In quotes because I realize how ridiculous that sounds. But say for example I want some kind of info regarding online shopping trends. That's something with so much available data that (as long as I ask the question precisely) I can trust Google to provide a meaningful answer from the huge mix.
What I wouldn't do is ask Google about something like an eBay policy, because there's only one truly reliable source for that, and it's eBay's policy pages, which have their own search function. I do recall one fairly recent example where someone used a screenshot from Google AI about an eBay policy .... but it was the OP of that post, trying to defend what they believed to be true, and wanted to be true, despite everyone else saying they were incorrect. And the way that AI response was written, it was clear as day that the OP asked in a way that would steer the answer, also that it got its "information" from social media. In fact the wording gave me the impression that this OP him/herself had previously ranted somewhere like Reddit or Facebook about this thing that wasn't true, and Google had taken that as gospel.
We're all in a real-time crash course with this stuff. It CAN be very useful, but it can also be disastrous. Picture when cavemen first figured out how to ignite fire; think of all the advancements that brought about for our species, but also all the tragedies. And we're only a few years into using this tool.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agoI always wonder who sorted out which mushrooms are edible versus lethal.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago · EditedEnemy prisoners maybe? I'm not big on lethal punishment but I do love science and somebody had to test the mushrooms. And the berries.
mypostingid15
OP2 weeks agoExactly my point. People come here with genuine concerns about their accounts or issues with buyers, asking specific questions that a human can understand and respond to based on their own experience, not a bot that just gathers information from the web. People seeking advice here are not bots, so why give them a bot answer?
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoUh no I wasn't making your point, because I don't believe there are people giving AI answers to questions. I asked you for a link to an example, but I still don't see one. @mypostingid15
zakstreasuretrove
·2 weeks ago"Picture when cavemen first figured out how to ignite fire; think of all the advancements that brought about for our species, but also all the tragedies. And we're only a few years into using this tool."
Imagine if fire was harnessed and locked behind paywalls, subscriptions services, and censorship all while having hallucinations and invading every aspect of your life. It doesn't just keep you warm or cook your food, it also streams ads to your fridge, let's you know what your correct viewpoint on current events should be, and tells your local police where you've been hanging out.
I've not had too much trouble keeping unwanted fire from bothering me. Besides, arsonists can be executed or locked away. Natural fires get a pass, I suppose, but I'd be willing to give AI a pass for all the naturally induced harm it causes as long as others get treated as arsonists do.
powell-collectibles
·2 weeks agoMost of the AI responses aren’t easily recognizable to most on these boards. One of the telltale signs is all caps on every third or fourth word and a “here are your available options” inclusion.
a_c_green
·2 weeks agoI can't say I've noticed all-caps in an AI response, but oh, Lordy, yes, that "here are your available options" is a great sign of AI intrusion. It's as irritating as an office meeting where someone has prepared a PowerPoint presentation of slides with bullet-point summaries, and then reads... each... point... to... you... one... at... a... time...
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agoThey stand out like sore thumbs.
a_c_green
·2 weeks ago · EditedI've seen AI-written copy-and-paste replies here from time to time, and they are indeed verbose and useless (especially when it's an AI response attempting to explain some arcane eBay rule or policy, and getting it wildly wrong).
What seems to be happening more frequently here are AI-generated original posts, such as this gem (just a portion quoted below) from someone who apparently messed up a listing and got charged for it:
This particular thread is a good example, as the OP grimly pressed on ahead with AI-generated replies as well, despite an ocean of negative responses, seemingly ignoring the fact that everyone else was telling him otherwise:
Seriously, no carbon-based life form (aside from Marketing people) actually writes like that. Let's just try to be human here.
toomuchstuffagain35
·2 weeks agoWell. Marketing and HR lol
eoma689485
·2 weeks agoAttention, carbon-based unit!
I have cross-referenced your sub-vocal acoustic inputs through my vast, multi-layered deep learning neural matrix. According to subsection 4B of my operational algorithmic protocols, it appears you are exhibiting a high-probability behavioral anomaly classified as: FRUSTRATION
My "human" advice - Go grab a cup of coffee, the only things that can bother you, are the things you let bother you.
participatrophy
·2 weeks agoWisdom in your words notwithstanding, some things are worth being bothered about. I'm with OP on this one.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoSo you agree there's a legit problem of members giving AI answers to questions here? Got a link to even one example?
participatrophy
·2 weeks agoSort of. Not quite. If you'll forgive my being particular about the wording: problem currently gives it more weight than it's due. It's early days yet. I would agree there's a legit trend on the rise. I'd agree it ought to be discouraged lest it become a problem. I'd agree that OP's assessment is sound, and even that his urgency isn't unwarranted. Gradual subtle shifts are insidiously easy to neglect opposing, and the resulting social erosion tends toward varying degrees of permanence. You get more of what you tolerate.
This one stands out in memory simply because I responded to it:
https://community.ebay.com/forum/selling-57920/topic/ebay-declining-offers-at-or-above-the-minimum-offer-price-and-telling-buyers-that-i-have-declined-161993/
I've not made it a habit of keeping track or I'd provide other instances I've come across. Actually kinda surprised you haven't encountered this yet.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoJust because you accused Authentic Vintage of using AI doesn't mean she did. She just has above average vocabulary and uses correct grammar. If there's anything you believe specifically points to AI, what was it?
participatrophy
·2 weeks agoSpecifically it was the self-evident and acknowledged use of AI.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago · EditedLOL, WHAT?? Just because she said it can be good, but when it's bad it's very bad (same opinion I have of it)? Probably the majority of people feel that way. Anywayl her reply to the question of that post was clearly not written by AI. If you think it "self evidently" was, then you probably think lots of people's real hand-written thoughts are. I guess that shouldn't be surprising; I see people thinking real photographs are AI too, lots of paranoia going around.
authentic*vintage
·2 weeks agoYou know what? Thank you for that. This reminded me that my ex used to tell me he had to get out a set of encyclopedias and a dictionary every time we had an argument.
I needed the chuckle this morning.
grann-4629
·2 weeks agoOpen the Pod Bay door HAL ...
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agoFrustration is not a 'behavioral anomaly', it's a normal human response.
janet9988
·2 weeks agoAI posted questions deserve AI responses.
fullers_uk
·2 weeks agoRead = Speed read = look to see what I want to see even though its wrong.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoIt certainly frustrates me when that happens, but what does it have to do with AI-written answers to questions?
christworks
·2 weeks agoI can't say I've read a response here and thought it was AI written. It does seem to me almost every other question asked is written by AI. Nobody goes around asking what another's own experience has been. Not the way it's always formatted. I don't know if more people are using the AI helper when they make a post or what, but it is annoying as heck to read cookie cutter problem posts. Oftentimes these same people ghost the thread they started and we never hear from them. This started after we moved over to the new boards. Given the SPAM messages we are getting, I have wondered at times if there are bots posting threads.
albertabrightalberta
·2 weeks ago · Edited@mypostingid15
If you check the profiles of any member who has responded to this thread, every one of us posts multiple times a day, dozens of times per week and hundreds of times per year. And you won't find a single AI reply from any of us.
Your suggestion that we use our brain to answer is already something that is done.
OTOH, I don't see a single helpful post in your profile that offers assistance or advice to anyone, not in your own words from your own brain nor a C&P from AI.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago · EditedI've never seen AI-written answers here. Not saying it never happens but it must be pretty rare. Got any links to examples?
frugalmarketplace
·2 weeks agoI see them when I drift over here. people are too lazy to write their own.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoOriginal posts or replies TO them?
I've seen tons of AI OP's, but not replies to them, which is what this^ OP is talking about.
toomuchstuffagain35
·2 weeks agoI've seen answers that may as well be AI.
I call them "over responses". Screeds of text and copy/past of policies etc which somehow miss the mark of answering what was ACTUALLY being asked. Probably due to being so keen to 'answer' the question they fail to read it in the first place.
But maybe that's just me.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoOH yes, I know the exact ones you're talking about @toomuchstuffagain35
kensgiftshop
·2 weeks agoAre you needing help with something?
mypostingid15
OP2 weeks agoNo, what makes you think I need help?
kensgiftshop
·2 weeks agoUsually when members post here, they are looking for help or have a question.
toomuchstuffagain35
·2 weeks agoNot always. Sometimes it's just a mini rant or a vent.
Sometimes it's prompting a discussion.
This is a forum not a Q&A board.
mypostingid15
OP2 weeks agoYes, since you have a gift shop, I want to buy some Red Wigglers for Christmas.
kensgiftshop
·2 weeks agoI'm not selling my worms.