TLDR: Audrey Tollett, a Computer Science major at Trinity University, has conducted research to identify AI-generated reviews in the online gaming marketplace. Her project, ‘The Impact of AI-Generated Content on Sales: Evidence from Steam Reviews,’ aims to restore consumer trust by distinguishing human-generated reviews from those created by generative AI models like ChatGPT.
San Antonio, TX – August 29, 2025 – A significant research initiative led by Trinity University Computer Science major Audrey Tollett is shedding light on the growing challenge of AI-generated content in the online gaming marketplace. In collaboration with data science professor Dr. Tianxi Dong, Tollett’s project, titled ‘The Impact of AI-Generated Content on Sales: Evidence from Steam Reviews,’ focused on developing methods to detect non-human influence on digital retail platforms, specifically within the video game industry.
Tollett, an avid gamer and president of Trinity’s Gaming Club, found a perfect synergy between her academic pursuits and personal interests in this research. She emphasized the critical importance of her work, stating, ‘This (work) is important because consumer trust is a big deal. If we can’t trust that the reviews we read are human-generated, we’d have to rely on in-person word-of-mouth again.’
The project delved into the capabilities of generative AI models such as ChatGPT, which have increasingly impacted the authenticity of online reviews. Tollett explained her investigative approach: ‘Now, we can’t easily be sure if the reviews on a product are human-generated. So, I investigated how proportions of AI-generated reviews have changed over time, and how those figures correlate with the sales rankings of these games.’
Her methodology involved tagging a series of online reviews using a specialized program and then performing a panel analysis, a technique akin to linear regression. This allowed her to assess the correlation between the proportion of large language model-generated reviews and the sales rank of online games.
Tollett’s research was supported by a Semmes Grant through Trinity’s D.R. Semmes School of Science, highlighting the university’s commitment to hands-on learning and institutional resources for student research. She also praised Trinity’s smaller class sizes, noting, ‘Students at bigger schools don’t really get to talk to their professor, since they’re talking to the TA most of the time. But here at Trinity, specifically in computer science, most of the professors have an open-door policy, and you can pretty much just walk into their office with your random problems.’
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This work is part of a broader effort at Trinity University, with over 200 students participating in summer research programs. The findings from Tollett’s project are expected to contribute significantly to understanding and combating the challenges posed by AI-generated content in consumer-driven online environments.
