AI is hurting Customer Reviews

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Ready for another day of staying ahead of the competition in the Growth race?

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In Partnership with AirOps

Most SEO audits check rankings. That's the wrong instrument now.

AirOps just published State of AEO 2026, a data breakdown of what actually predicts AI Search visibility. A few numbers worth your attention: 

• Pages updated in the last 3 months get cited 3x more than stale ones. 
• Clean heading hierarchies drive 2.8x higher citation rates.
• 85% of brand mentions in AI answers come from third-party sources, not owned pages.

The volatility data is the real find. Brands earning both a mention and a citation are 40% more likely to resurface across answers, and most brands that drop out come back within two runs if the underlying signals hold.

Carta saw a 7x increase in AI citations. Chime tripled theirs in four weeks.

If AI visibility is becoming part of your growth target, this report gives you the benchmarks and signals to audit against your own performance.

💡 Why AI-Written Reviews Can Hurt Your Brand

AI makes writing reviews faster.

But it also makes negative reviews sound much harsher.

Research shows that while AI increases the number of reviews businesses receive, it can also make damaging reviews even more damaging.

Here's what the research found.

1️⃣ More People Leave Reviews
When reviewers had access to AI, the number of reviews increased by 2%, while review length grew by 9% because writing became easier.

2️⃣ Negative Reviews Become Harsher
AI tends to exaggerate negative experiences. Instead of writing "I didn't like the room," reviewers were more likely to write emotionally charged comments like "I hated the room."

3️⃣ Opinions Replace Facts
AI-generated reviews often become more subjective and emotional instead of focusing on objective details. This makes poor reviews feel more persuasive to future customers.

4️⃣ Discourage AI-Written Reviews (Tripadvisor)
Tripadvisor actively detects and removes AI-generated reviews. Encouraging customers to write reviews in their own words helps maintain authenticity and credibility.

5️⃣ Keep Reviews Human
If you ask customers for reviews, remind them to write them personally rather than using AI. Authentic experiences build far more trust than perfectly written responses.

Why It Works

AI naturally expands and intensifies language, making criticism sound stronger than people often intend. Human-written reviews feel more balanced, genuine, and trustworthy because they reflect real experiences instead of amplified emotions.

👀 Brand Example (Tripadvisor)

Tripadvisor actively monitors for AI-generated reviews, removes them, and can suspend accounts that repeatedly publish them. The platform prioritizes authentic customer experiences over artificially generated feedback.

The Takeaway

More reviews aren't always better. Encouraging genuine customer feedback instead of AI-generated reviews helps protect your reputation and builds greater trust with future buyers.

💡 Turn AI Images Into Editable Canva Designs

Creating a great image is only half the job.

What if you could instantly turn it into a fully editable Canva design?

Gemini now lets you do exactly that.

Here's how to do it.

1️⃣ Generate An Image Go to Gemini, sign in, and describe the image you want to create using a detailed prompt.

2️⃣ Make It Editable Once the image is ready, type:

@Canva make it editable

If prompted, connect your Canva account to Gemini.

3️⃣ Send It To Canva Gemini automatically transfers the image into Canva as an editable design instead of a flat image.

4️⃣ Customize Everything Open the design in Canva and modify the text, graphics, colors, layouts, and other editable elements to match your needs.

5️⃣ Export Or Publish Once you're happy with the design, export it in your preferred format or publish it directly from Canva.

Why It Works

Instead of recreating AI-generated images manually inside Canva, Gemini converts them into editable designs, saving significant time while giving you complete creative control.

The Takeaway

Generate your visuals in Gemini, edit them in Canva, and create professional designs without starting from scratch.

As we prepare more "Growthful" content, we'd love to hear your thoughts on today's edition! Feel free to share this with someone who would appreciate it. 🥰