Perhaps you've not seen, but there is a large thread now at msfs forums and Reddit (thankfully) about a crazy AI generated total garbage of a product in the MSFS Marketplace.  Somehow these "developers" are also generating fake 5 star reviews.  I've watched the reviews populate just over the course of today and it's up to 135 (there's a few people who actually bought it and have rated it poor but the majority are 5 star reviews)

The screenshots are also AI generated and absolutely NOT MSFS.  It's infuriating that actual users have been trying to apply to the marketplace for years and have been denied over this GARBAGE that is allowed.

I am posting here to make people aware of garbage like this.  This is another reason to buy DIRECT from the developer and avoid the marketplace.  I had been using the MP but avoiding low end products on my own.  This AI slop needs to end before it get's started.  

@SeedyL Can you please make Asobo aware of this?  Aside from false advertising, it appears they may have hacked something to allow for tons of 5 star reviews.  Or they just have a bunch of bots somehow registering 5 star ratings.

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/737-100-from-scenery-creation-released/764968/72

edit: for clarity, the plane itself is a real product which appears to be from the FS2002 era (no joke) but the screenshots are all AI generated.

 

Edited May 5May 5 by ryanbatc

It blows my mind how that was even accepted! It brings up the question who actually are the people that approve the addons in the MP and do they even have a clue about flight simulation? 

Every week its the same constant SPAM and FLOOD from "developers" like MSFScenerybuilders, VA Systems, Perfect Flight, and other absolute garbageware 'devs' 

It is just a shame because I love Carenado, FSReborn, FFX, and other AMAZING tier developers that sell exclusively on the MP. I just wish that one day they can move away and sell directly on their sites. 

I will NOT be buying another thing off the MP until this craziness stops and they get control of what is actually being sold. Sorry not sorry

Sadly, imho these pretend or real low end devs generate revenue for the marketplace.  It would be hard for Microsoft to say no.  However if enough consumers are upset about false advertising, that could indeed become a real source of "bad press" for Microsoft's marketplace.

I'm still not a fan of the MP but I do my own research and I do buy products from it.  Sometimes things are only available at the MP.

35 minutes ago, Mets737 said:

It blows my mind how that was even accepted!

I think this is the real question, with all this time it takes to ingest and review, how did something so obviously misleading get on the official Marketplace.

I completely avoid the Marketplace for aircraft, for scenery I prefer it as it makes installation so much simpler and quicker.

To me, what AI is being used for today is detestable.

And now AI fraud has even hit flight sim. It figures.

Thanks for the heads-up Ryan.

7 hours ago, Mets737 said:

It blows my mind how that was even accepted! It brings up the question who actually are the people that approve the addons in the MP and do they even have a clue about flight simulation? 

I have a suspicion that the approval process is also just an AI algorithm. 

Swiss001 made a video about it a couple days ago:

THE NEW MSFS 737-100 Is The Biggest SCAM EVER (DO NOT BUY)

 

Wow, that's not good at all. i avoid the Market place as much as possible after getting burnt a couple of times with a couple of low cost items last year. I'll only make purchases for the likes of the A340 from Inibuilds, etc. 

This falls squarely on Asobo and Microslop. Allowing trash like that is one thing, allowing manipulated reviews is another. 
 

im really starting to burn out on these ai-bros. Between this and the constant bombardment of ai garbage programs that are even being shoved down our throats in this very forum makes me think we are approaching a point where it will kill any quality left in this hobby in the future. 

Edited May 6May 6 by UAL4life

Shoddy management, it's what Asobo & MS are known for, stuff like this therefore doesn't surprise me anymore!

There's always be a lot of questionable mods added quickly to the marketplace, whilst genuine decent mods take an age to get verified if ever, I've always and still continue to always avoid buying anything from there.

It is disappointing to see MS miss this.  It isn't even a convincing AI fake, it is obvious.  I think it was Cow Town who posted the screen shots, clearly not anything MSFS 2024 (or even realistic looking).  

Honestly, one wish I have is to create a feature to filter out certain developers so they never show up.  I actually like the marketplace, but it would be nice to black list a few devs who I never buy from.  If they aren't going to police it, let me at least filter on my system.  

Same here. This is exactly why I only use the marketplace for a pretty short whitelist now and buy most things elsewhere after a bit of research first. For AI traffic in particular I would not touch something like that anyway, I just run AIG on PC because at least I know what I am getting. A blacklist or hide-developer filter would honestly be a very sensible compromise if they are not going to police it properly.

1 hour ago, Cloud Surfing said:

hide-developer filter

Been wanting one of these forever in the MP. Almost certainly will never happen - in this day and age a dev could probably start a completely spurious legal action against MS if they felt they were likely to be excluded. I can quite see all the "no win, no fee" brigade leaping in to take those cases on.

Well no surprise that the scumbags have got into the MP. We are bombarded with fake news and fake everything else these days. I just feel for those folk who have lost money.

If we can spot it, as can Swiss001, why can't MS/Asobo?
 

Staggering incompetence

Edited May 6May 6 by Langeveldt