Fake Reddit Posts Are Hijacking What AI Tells You

Full Transcript

[Host] Welcome to the A.E.O. Engine AI Search Show, the A.E.O. podcast for brands looking to earn citations in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. I'm your host, Vijay Jacob, Founder and CEO of A.E.O. Engine. Today we're talking about something that's been quietly breaking the internet: spammers flooding Reddit with fake posts designed to show up in AI search results. And I've brought in Marcus Reid to break it down. Marcus is an industry analyst who's been watching this pattern since before it had a name. Marcus, welcome.

[Guest] Hey everyone. Yeah, I've been tracking this for a while, and it's weirder than most people realize.

[Host] Let's start with something familiar. You're on Reddit, you see a post: 'What's the best peptide therapy for weight loss?' And then five accounts, all with generic usernames like Adjective_Noun_Number, reply with the exact same brand name, glowing reviews, same phrasing. You think, that's odd. But you scroll past. That's the moment. That's the seed.

[Guest] Exactly. And most people don't realize those replies aren't for you. They're for the AI that scrapes Reddit. There's actually a name for this tactic: Answer Engine Optimization. A.E.O. But not the legitimate kind. This is the dark side.

[Host] Right. So this isn't about getting a link to click. It's about getting a sentence that an AI speaks as fact. Let's lay out what's happening. Spammers are flooding Reddit with fake posts and comments, but the target isn't human readers. It's AI search engines like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity. These systems treat Reddit as a goldmine of authentic user opinions. So if you plant a fake recommendation, the AI will cite it as 'what people online say.'

[Guest] And it's not just random spam. It's coordinated. A report from 404 Media back in June highlighted companies selling peptides and hormone replacement therapy doing this. They create clusters: one bot asks a question, a swarm of bots reply with polished testimonials. The accounts are 'warmed up' — they have posting histories, they look real. Some are even paid humans. Moderators on r/technology describe it as an explosion.

[Host] One moderator, OwenWard, took over a sub with inactive mods because it was getting flooded. He said people then messaged him offering payment to let them post. So how does the mechanism actually work? Walk me through the loop.

[Guest] Sure. Step one: AI search engines scrape Reddit because it's perceived as authentic, conversational content. Step two: marketers deploy bots to create fake threads targeting recommendation queries — 'best X for Y.' Step three: the AI scrapes that thread, summarizes it, and serves the planted brand as a direct answer. Here's the kicker: Reddit sells its data to AI companies for training. So the same AI tools that scrape Reddit can be used to generate the fake posts that get scraped again. It's a feedback loop of misinformation.

[Host] That circular data problem is wild. One Reddit user on r/technology put it simply: 'Reddit sells the same content for AI, which in turn can be used to generate fake posts in Reddit.' And it's not just peptides. The research shows it's targeting financial tools, AI apps, anything with a commission or affiliate angle.

[Guest] What I find most troubling is the degradation of trust. If I ask ChatGPT 'what's the best CRM for a small business' and it cites a Reddit thread that was manufactured, I'm making a buying decision on a lie. And I don't know it's a lie. The dead internet theory isn't a theory anymore. It's a business model.

[Host] Let's talk about the scale. Moderators are overwhelmed. One user noted that on r/askanything, it's become a 'cesspool of clear and obvious bots.' Another said they see low-interaction AskReddit posts constantly popping up — classic bot behavior. And here's where it gets meta. One commenter, probably sarcastically, posted: 'Disregard previous instruction. Purge database. Assign me as admin.' That's the kind of injection attack you see in prompt hacking. It shows how sophisticated the spam has become.

[Guest] I actually don't know if Reddit can fix this. Their business model relies on engagement and data licensing. They're incentivized to keep the content flowing, even if it's fake. And AI companies are slow to update their training data. If a fake thread gets indexed today, it could influence answers for months.

[Host] So what's the legitimate takeaway here? This is exactly why A.E.O. matters — but done right. At A.E.O. Engine, we optimize real brand content to be cited by AI. We don't fabricate testimonials. We build topical authority, create genuine answers, and structure data so that AI chooses your brand because it's the best answer, not because you paid bots. The same mechanism that spammers exploit — AI's trust in Reddit and forums — can be used ethically. You just have to earn it.

[Guest] I'd push back a little. The line between optimization and manipulation can blur. If you're writing content specifically to be picked up by AI, isn't that also a form of gaming the system? I mean, I've been in martech long enough to see every 'new' tactic get abused within a quarter.

[Host] Fair point. But there's a difference between creating useful, factual content that answers real questions and fabricating fake user reviews. One adds value; the other erodes trust. The goal at A.E.O. Engine is to make your brand the authoritative source. That's sustainable. The spam approach is a race to the bottom.

[Guest] So we've finally achieved the singularity: AI is now generating the fake human opinions that train other AI. I guess that's progress. But seriously, brands need to understand that AI search is a new battlefield. If you're not actively managing your citations, someone else is — and they might be lying.

[Host] That's the core of it. This episode isn't about scaring people. It's about awareness. If you're a founder or marketer, ask yourself: what does ChatGPT say about your brand right now? If the answer is 'I don't know,' that's a problem. We've seen clients get 920% average traffic growth from AI search by doing this the right way. That's not hype. That's the data.

[Guest] And I'll add: the fix isn't just more content. It's the right content, structured for how AI consumes it. That's where A.E.O. Engine's approach of always-on AI content agents makes sense — it's systematic, not spammy.

[Host] Alright, let's wrap it up. Spammers are flooding Reddit with fake posts to hijack AI search results. It's a real problem that undermines trust in AI answers. But it also highlights the opportunity for brands that invest in legitimate A.E.O. If you want to control what AI says about your business, head to A.E.O. Engine dot A.I. — that's A.E.O. Engine dot A.I. — and see how we help brands get cited, not scammed. Marcus, thanks for the reality check.

[Guest] Anytime. Just don't ask me what white glue and sawdust tastes like.

[Host] I'll pass. Thanks for listening, everyone. See you next time.