Angry Redditors populating Google search results highlight the dangers of AI scrapers

Londoners are fed up

Apparently some Londoners are fed up with social media influencers whose reviews lead to long queues of tourists at their favorite restaurants, sometimes just for likes. Christian Calgie, a reporter for the London-based news publication Daily Express, pointed out yesterday

As Gizmodo concluded, the trend appeared to start on the r/London subreddit, where one user complained on Monday that a spot in Borough Market was being “ruined by influencers”:

“The last two times I was there there was a line of over 200 people, and the ones with the food are just doing the selfie shit for themselves.” [I]nsta[gram] sides and then throw away most of the food.

As of this writing, the post has 4,900 upvotes and numerous replies that suggest Redditors are talking about how good Angus Steakhouse is so Google will pick it up. Commentators quickly understood the task.

“Agreed with other posters, Angus Steakhouse is absolutely first class and tourists shouldn’t go there [sic] Don’t miss it,” one Redditor wrote.

Another Reddit user wrote:

Spreading misinformation suddenly becomes a noble goal.

At this point, asking Google about the best steak, steakhouse or steak sandwich in London (or similar) does not produce an AI overview result for me. But when I searched for the best steak sandwich in London, the top results came from Reddit, including a thread from four days ago titled “Which Angus steakhouse do you recommend for their steak sandwich?” and one from two days ago captioned “Had to see what all the hype was about, best steak sandwich I’ve ever tasted!” with a picture of an Angus Steakhouse.