A potential customer hears about your business and wants to know more.
A few years ago, they would probably have searched Google, visited your website and checked your LinkedIn page. Today, they may ask ChatGPT, Gemini or another AI platform a direct question: What does this company do? Who runs it? Is it credible? Which businesses offer this service in Dubai or Saudi Arabia?
The answer they receive could influence whether they visit your website, contact you or quietly move on.
This creates a new reputation challenge. It is no longer enough to know what appears on the first page of Google. Businesses also need to understand how AI tools describe them.
When the information is incomplete
We recently explored what Generative Engine Optimisation means for PR, including how credible, well-structured information can help brands appear in AI-generated results.
But being visible is only part of the issue. The information also needs to be accurate.
An AI tool may use an old company biography, overlook a newer service or confuse your business with another organisation. It might identify the wrong founder, location or target market. It may recognise your presence in the UAE but miss that you also operate in Saudi Arabia or any other country in the Middle East.
Different tools may also produce different answers because they do not necessarily access or prioritise the same sources.
You cannot control every AI-generated response. But you can improve the information available about your business.
A simple AI reputation audit
Start by asking two or three AI tools the same questions a customer, journalist or potential partner might ask:
- What does this company do?
- Who founded or leads it?
- Where does it operate?
- What is it known for?
- Is it a credible provider of its stated services?
Do not only search for your company name. Ask broader questions about the service you provide. If you want to be known as a specialist communications consultancy in the UAE, for example, check whether your business appears when someone asks for companies in that category.
For GCC businesses, it is also worth testing relevant questions in English and Arabic. The information returned may not be the same.
Look at what is missing as well as what is wrong. An AI tool may know that your company exists without understanding its current focus, regional reach or expertise. These gaps can reveal weaknesses in your public communications.
Trace the information
Where an AI answer provides links or citations, open them.
You may find an outdated directory listing, an old event biography, an abandoned social media profile or a media article that no longer reflects the business.
Begin with the information you control. Review your website, About page, leadership biographies, service pages and contact details. Check that your company is described consistently across your website, LinkedIn and Google Business Profile.
Google itself recommends keeping business names, locations, service areas, categories and contact information complete and accurate.
Then review important external profiles. If an industry association, event organiser, partner or publication has materially incorrect information, ask whether it can be updated.
Give AI better evidence
The solution is not to publish large volumes of generic content. It is to provide clearer and more credible information.
Your website should make it easy to understand what the business does, who it serves, where it operates and what experience supports its claims. Case studies, current leadership profiles, recognised certifications, media coverage and properly sourced data can all help establish a clearer public record.
This is also why owned media remains important. Your website is the central place where accurate information about the company should live.
No one can guarantee what an AI platform will say or whether your business will always appear in its recommendations. Results can change between platforms, questions and users.
The practical objective is simpler. Make your business easy to understand, consistent across credible sources and straightforward to verify.
Start by asking three AI tools five questions about your business. Compare their answers and choose one important gap you can correct this week.
