#ao3 post

What does a hate bot comment look like?

Hate bot comments can vary a lot. Some are simple and short, and some are incredibly complex and use sophisticated language. They almost always do not mention any specific details about the fic they liked. They are also usually a guest account.

It’s important to remember that those details mentioned above do not apply to all bot comments. Some will mention things about the fic, and some may have accounts.

Here are some examples pulled from Google with the search, “ao3 hate bot comment”.

You might see this too; the bot will accuse the writer of using AI.

Some hate bot comments feel very clunky and AI generated, while others feel like it might have been human written. But rest assured, these are all bots.

What about spam bots?

Although spam bots do the opposite of hate bots— they praise— they are just as harmful.

First, they might simply praise the author, again, giving general feedback with absolutely no details. These bots are basically harmless, but they are still not real humans who are actually reading your writing, which can feel pretty terrible.

Again, these are some examples pulled off of Google with the search “ao3 spam bot comment”.

Or, you also might see this; the bot will ask if you would like to join their club/discord or that they would like to make art of your fic (or also could be something completely different). These bots, although they are praising the work, are also incredibly dangerous. Some may not know that these are bots and lead themselves into dangerous situations, or pay money directly to a scammer.

The comment on the right was actually received by blog mod, @i-love-zelda-16.

Again, writers may be excited seeing these kinds of comments, thinking that someone is actually interested in their work, but unfortunately, rest assured that once again, these are all bots. Do not pay any money to them. Do not trust them.