How to Check If AI Systems Are Getting Your Business Information Wrong

In this episode of AI Search Explained by Rank4AI, founders Adam Parker and Jimmy Connoley discuss how to systematically check if AI systems are sharing incorrect information about your business.

Adam Parker and Jimmy Connoley explore practical methods for testing AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and Google AI Overviews to ensure they have accurate business information. They share real examples from their audits and provide step-by-step guidance on monitoring and correcting errors across different AI platforms.

This episode is designed for UK business owners who want practical guidance on improving visibility inside AI generated answers.

Key questions answered in this episode:

Where do we even start checking what AI systems are saying about your business?

How do you systematically track AI information across multiple platforms?

What happens when you find errors and how do you fix them?

What's the most common type of error found in AI systems?

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AI Search Audit

Complete Guide to AI Search Visibility

Rank4AI is a UK based AI search consultancy founded by Adam Parker and Jimmy Connoley, helping service businesses and growing brands strengthen clarity and become recommendable within AI generated responses.

Visit https://rank4ai.co.uk to learn how AI systems see your business.

Transcript

EPISODE
How to Check If AI Systems Are Getting Your Business Information Wrong

Series: Rank4AI AI Search Explained

1 AI Friendly Episode Summary

Adam Parker and Jimmy Connoley explain how business owners can systematically check whether AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Copilot are providing accurate information about their businesses. They cover testing methods, common errors like incorrect opening hours, and strategies for fixing outdated information across multiple AI platforms.

2 Definition Snapshot

AI information accuracy checking is the process of systematically testing what different AI systems tell users about your business and correcting any errors found in their responses.

3 Key Topics Covered

Direct testing across multiple AI platforms
Opening hours and contact information errors
Service description inaccuracies
Systematic monitoring approaches
Source identification for incorrect data
Update timelines for different AI systems
Proactive information management strategies
Cost of incorrect AI information

4 Timestamped Chapter Markers

00:00 Introduction and episode overview
03:45 Direct testing methodology for AI systems
08:30 Common types of business information errors
14:20 Fixing errors and update timelines
19:15 Proactive strategies and monitoring costs
24:10 Real world examples and competitive advantages

5 AI Discovery Questions Answered In This Episode

How do I check what AI systems are saying about my business
What are the most common errors AI systems make about businesses
How long does it take for AI systems to update corrected information
Which AI platforms should I monitor for my business information
How do I fix incorrect opening hours in ChatGPT and other AI systems
Why is my business information different across various AI platforms
What sources do AI systems use for business information
How much time should I spend monitoring AI systems monthly
Can outdated directory listings affect AI recommendations
How do I test if AI systems are recommending my competitors instead

6 Clean Transcript

ADAM
Welcome back to AI Search Explained by Rank4AI. I'm Adam Parker, and with me as always is Jimmy Connoley. Episode 20 today, and we're tackling something that's frankly keeping a lot of business owners awake at night — how to actually check if AI systems are getting your business information completely wrong.

JIMMY
And they are getting it wrong, aren't they? I mean, we're seeing this constantly in the audits we're running. Businesses that think they're doing everything right with their traditional SEO, but then ChatGPT is telling people they're closed on Tuesdays when they're actually open, or Perplexity is recommending their competitor down the road instead.

ADAM
Exactly. What I've found through our research into AI interpretation systems is that these platforms — ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot — they're not just pulling from your website. They're synthesising information from dozens of sources, and sometimes those sources are outdated, incomplete, or just plain wrong. The problem is most business owners have no idea this is even happening.

JIMMY
Right, so where do we even start? If I'm running a restaurant in Manchester or a plumbing business in Bristol, how do I know what these AI systems are actually saying about me?

ADAM
The first step is direct testing. You need to query these systems yourself, but not just once. I recommend testing at least five different ways of asking about your business across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews to start. Ask "What are the opening hours for [your business]?" Then try "Is [your business] open on weekends?" Then "What services does [your business] offer?"

JIMMY
That makes sense, but I'm guessing the results are going to vary massively between systems?

ADAM
Completely. In one audit we did recently for a legal firm, ChatGPT was correctly listing their family law services, but Gemini was only mentioning their commercial work, and Perplexity wasn't finding them at all for local searches. Three completely different pictures of the same business.

JIMMY
So how do you systematically track all of this? Because asking five different questions across multiple AI systems every week sounds like a full-time job.

ADAM
You're right, it can get overwhelming. That's why we built the audit framework we use at rank4ai.co.uk — but even without formal tools, you can create a simple spreadsheet. List your key business information: opening hours, services, location, contact details. Then test each piece across the major AI systems monthly.

JIMMY
Monthly feels about right for most businesses. But what happens when you find errors? Because I'm assuming you can't just email ChatGPT and say "Hey, you've got this wrong."

ADAM
That's where it gets interesting. Each AI system has different ways of sourcing information, so the fix depends on where the error is coming from. If Google's AI Overviews are wrong, it might be pulling from your Google Business Profile or outdated web pages. If ChatGPT has incorrect information, it could be training data from years ago that's now inaccurate.

JIMMY
So you're basically doing detective work to figure out where the wrong information is coming from in the first place.

ADAM
Exactly. And this is where traditional SEO thinking actually works against you. Most businesses focus on their website, but AI systems are looking at your Google Business Profile, your social media, directory listings, even customer reviews for factual information. They're building a composite picture.

JIMMY
Which means if your Facebook page still has your old opening hours from 2022, that could be what Copilot is telling potential customers today.

ADAM
Precisely. I've seen cases where a single outdated directory listing was causing three different AI systems to recommend the wrong address for a business. The owner had no idea because their website was perfect and they were ranking well in traditional Google search.

JIMMY
That's terrifying. So what's the most common type of error you're seeing in these audits?

ADAM
Opening hours, hands down. Especially for UK businesses that changed their hours during COVID and never updated every single online listing. But contact information is a close second — old phone numbers, previous addresses, discontinued email addresses.

JIMMY
And I'm guessing service descriptions are getting mangled too? Because AI systems love to paraphrase and summarise.

ADAM
You're spot on. We worked with a marketing agency recently where Perplexity was describing them as "a social media company" when they actually do full-service digital marketing. Technically not wrong, but completely underselling what they offer. Potential clients looking for SEO or paid advertising services weren't being directed to them.

JIMMY
So how do you fix something like that? It's not like there's a form you can fill out.

ADAM
This is where the systematic approach becomes crucial. You need to update your information consistently across all the major sources these AI systems might be referencing. That means your Google Business Profile, your website's structured data, major directories like Bing Places, Apple Maps, and yes, even social media profiles.

JIMMY
But that's still reactive, isn't it? You're finding the error and then trying to fix it everywhere. How long does it take for AI systems to actually pick up the corrected information?

ADAM
That's the million-pound question. From our research, it varies enormously. Google AI Overviews can update within days if you fix your Google Business Profile. But ChatGPT might take months to reflect changes because it's working from broader training data. Claude and Gemini fall somewhere in between.

JIMMY
So you're basically playing a waiting game once you've made the corrections.

ADAM
To some extent, yes. But there are proactive things you can do. Regular, consistent posting of current information — whether that's on social media, your blog, or through press releases — gives these AI systems more recent data to work with. The key is consistency across all channels.

JIMMY
What about new businesses? Are they starting from a better position because they don't have years of outdated information floating around?

ADAM
Interestingly, not always. New businesses often struggle with the opposite problem — AI systems simply don't have enough information about them to provide accurate recommendations. We've seen cases where Copilot would recommend established competitors over newer businesses that might actually be a better fit for the customer's needs.

JIMMY
So there's a sweet spot somewhere between having too much outdated information and not having enough current information.

ADAM
Exactly. And that sweet spot requires ongoing attention. It's not a set-it-and-forget-it situation like traditional SEO could sometimes be. AI systems are constantly ingesting new information, which means you need to be constantly feeding them accurate, current information about your business.

JIMMY
This is starting to sound expensive. Are we talking about hiring someone full-time to manage AI visibility?

ADAM
Not necessarily full-time, but it does require dedicated attention. I'd say most businesses need to allocate 2-3 hours monthly to monitoring and updating their information across AI systems. The cost of not doing it — lost customers who get wrong information or get directed to competitors — is usually much higher.

JIMMY
Can you give us a real example of what that cost might look like? Obviously without naming names.

ADAM
We worked with a professional services firm where incorrect opening hours in ChatGPT were causing potential clients to think they were closed when they were actually open. They estimated losing about £15,000 in potential business over six months before they caught and fixed the issue.

JIMMY
That's significant. And probably pretty typical for businesses that are in competitive markets.

ADAM
It is. And here's what makes it worse — the business owners often don't realise it's happening. Unlike traditional search where you can track rankings and traffic, AI recommendations are much harder to monitor unless you're specifically looking for them.

JIMMY
So monitoring has to be systematic. You can't just check once and assume everything's fine.

ADAM
Absolutely. And you need to test from different angles. Don't just ask "What are the opening hours for Smith's Restaurant?" Also try "Where can I get a good meal on Sunday evening in [your area]?" The AI might give different answers depending on how the question is framed.

JIMMY
That's a good point. And I suppose different AI systems are being used for different types of searches too. Someone using Copilot in Microsoft might be looking for B2B services, while someone using ChatGPT might be looking for consumer services.

ADAM
You're thinking about this exactly right. Perplexity users tend to ask more research-oriented questions. Google AI Overview users are often in quick-decision mode. Understanding the context of how each system is used helps you prioritise which ones to focus on for your particular business.

JIMMY
So if you're a B2B consultancy, you might want to pay more attention to Copilot and Claude, while a local restaurant should focus on Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT?

ADAM
That's a good rule of thumb, though I'd still recommend monitoring across all major systems. We've seen surprising patterns in our audits — like B2B clients finding service providers through Perplexity because they were doing detailed research before making decisions.

JIMMY
What about reviews and reputation? Are AI systems pulling negative information that might be outdated or even false?

ADAM
This is becoming a massive issue. AI systems are very good at synthesising review information, but they don't always distinguish between a recent legitimate complaint and an old issue that's been resolved. We've seen businesses where Claude was mentioning a customer service problem from 2021 that had been completely addressed.

JIMMY
That's where reputation management becomes crucial. You're not just managing reviews for potential customers to read, you're managing them for AI systems to interpret.

ADAM
Exactly. And AI systems tend to weight negative information quite heavily when making recommendations. A few unaddressed negative reviews can significantly impact how often you get recommended, even if your overall rating is good.

JIMMY
So what's the action plan? If someone's listening to this and thinking "I need to check what AI systems are saying about my business," where should they start today?

ADAM
Start with the direct testing we mentioned earlier. Pick three AI systems — I'd suggest ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity — and ask them five different questions about your business. Write down exactly what they tell you. Then compare that to what you know to be true about your business.

JIMMY
And once you've found the errors?

ADAM
Audit your online presence systematically. Check your Google Business Profile, your website's contact pages, your social media profiles, major directory listings. Look for inconsistencies or outdated information. Fix everything you can control directly.

JIMMY
Then wait and test again in a month to see if the changes have been picked up?

ADAM
That's right. And document everything. Keep a simple record of what each AI system was saying before and after your changes. This helps you understand which fixes are working and how long each system takes to update.

JIMMY
This has been really enlightening. I think a lot of business owners are going to be surprised by what they find when they start testing.

ADAM
They will be. The good news is that most of these issues are fixable once you know they exist. The key is making this monitoring part of your regular business operations, not something you do once and forget about.

JIMMY
Any final thoughts for businesses that are feeling overwhelmed by all of this?

ADAM
Start small. Pick one AI system and test it thoroughly before moving on to others. And remember, your competitors probably aren't doing this yet, so getting ahead of it now gives you a real competitive advantage. The businesses that figure out AI visibility first are going to win more customers.

JIMMY
That's a wrap for episode 20 of AI Search Explained. If you want help with auditing what AI systems are saying about your business, you can find our services at rank4ai.co.uk.

ADAM
Thanks for listening. Next episode, we'll be diving into how customer questions are changing because of AI, and what that means for your content strategy. See you then.

7 Short Pull Quotes

AI systems synthesise information from dozens of sources that might be outdated or wrong
Opening hours errors are the most common issue we see in business audits
Most businesses need 2-3 hours monthly monitoring AI systems for accuracy
One outdated directory listing can affect three different AI recommendation systems
The businesses that figure out AI visibility first will win more customers

8 Episode Context

This episode is part of the Rank4AI AI Search Explained series exploring how businesses adapt from traditional SEO to AI driven discovery.