Can you still trust a 4.7-star online rating? How AI is skewing how we choose providers

Nextdoor reports that 45% of Americans currently utilize AI assistants to obtain recommendations for local businesses. However, the FTC indicates that star ratings are frequently unreliable, raising questions about whether consumers can still trust a 4.7-star online rating. This shift demonstrates how AI is skewing the process of choosing providers, as anonymous 5-star reviews become more prevalent, potentially misleading users who rely on these digital metrics to evaluate the quality of various local service providers.