ChatGPT is spreading wrong info about my company - how do I fix it?

AI misinformation is a growing crisis category. Let me help.

First, understand the problem:

AI “hallucinations” happen 2.5-8.5% of the time. Some models exceed 15%. Your situation isn’t rare.

Why this happens:

1. Training data issue - AI learned from outdated/incorrect sources
2. Hallucination - AI fabricated a “plausible” story
3. Conflation - AI confused you with another company
4. Source problem - Third-party site has wrong info AI references

The fix framework:

You can’t edit AI directly. But you can influence what it learns.

Finding the source of misinformation.

How to trace where AI got wrong info:

1. Ask the AI itself - “What sources say [Company] went out of business?”
2. Search Google - “[Company] + out of business” or “closed”
3. Check Wikipedia - Often a primary AI source
4. Check business databases - Crunchbase, D&B, etc.
5. Search Reddit - AI heavily cites Reddit

Common sources of bad info:

When we found our client’s issue:

A 2022 blog post speculating about layoffs got picked up. AI connected dots that didn’t exist.

The fix:

We contacted the blog, got a correction. Published authoritative content. Within 6 weeks, AI responses changed.

Monitoring is crucial - you should have caught this earlier.

Set up monitoring for:

1. Your brand name queries in AI systems
2. Variations (Company Name + business, operating, status)
3. Competitor comparisons that mention you
4. Industry queries where you should appear

Tools approach:

Use Am I Cited or similar to track:

• Brand mentions across AI platforms
• Sentiment of mentions
• Accuracy of information
• Visibility changes over time

Manual monitoring process:

Weekly queries to test:

• “Is [Company] still in business?”
• “What happened to [Company]?”
• “[Company] vs [Competitor]”
• “Best [your category] companies”

Alert triggers:

• Sudden drop in mentions
• New negative sentiment
• Inaccurate information
• Competitor gains

Early detection = easier fix. You’re playing catch-up now because this wasn’t monitored.

Prevention strategy for the future.

Why AI misinformation happens:

1. Inconsistent information across your web presence
2. Outdated content on your own site
3. Missing authoritative signals (schema, entity data)
4. Third-party uncertainty - sites with old/wrong info

Prevention framework:

Consistency layer:

• Same messaging across website, social, press
• Regular updates with dates
• Clear company information

Authority layer:

• Schema markup for Organization
• Knowledge panel management
• Wikipedia accuracy (if applicable)
• Business database accuracy

Freshness layer:

• Regular news/blog updates
• Press releases for milestones
• Social media activity
• Updated testimonials with dates

The compound effect:

Consistent, authoritative, fresh information makes AI confident. Confidence reduces hallucination.

Long-term reputation repair.

The reality:

Training data-based AI responses take time to fix. ChatGPT’s training data has a cutoff date.

Two types of AI responses:

For live search systems:

Update your content → AI retrieves fresh info → Response changes

For training data systems:

Create authoritative content → Wait for next training → Hope you’re included

What you can do:

1. Focus on live search first - Faster wins
2. Build overwhelming positive signals - For future training
3. Accept some persistence - Old training may linger

The silver lining:

Each new model version incorporates more recent data. Your fixes compound over time.

Legal and formal options.

Contacting AI providers:

What to include:

1. Specific false claim
2. Evidence it’s false (incorporation docs, recent news)
3. Screenshots of the incorrect output
4. Request for correction

Reality check:

AI providers rarely manually fix individual cases. Your best bet is fixing the underlying information.

When legal action might help:

• Demonstrable financial harm
• Defamatory content
• Clear source of misinformation

But legal routes are slow and uncertain. Content fixes are faster.

Quick wins while you work on the bigger fix.

Immediate sales enablement:

Create a FAQ document: “You may have encountered incorrect AI information…”

• Explain the situation
• Provide proof we’re operating
• List recent achievements
• Include customer references

Email signature update:

Add: “Proudly serving customers since [year] - [recent achievement]”

Website banner:

Temporary banner: “2024 Achievement: [specific win]” - signals activity

Social proof push:

• Request recent customers for testimonials
• Post customer case studies
• Share team photos with current dates

The goal:

While you fix AI responses, arm your team to address concerns directly.

This is incredibly helpful. My crisis action plan:

Immediate (today):

1. Update homepage with recent achievements
2. Brief sales team with FAQ document
3. Update Google Business Profile
4. Set up AI monitoring with Am I Cited

This week:

1. Trace source of misinformation
2. Update all business databases
3. Publish “Company Update” blog post
4. Create “Is [Company] still in business?” page
5. Contact any incorrect third-party sources

Ongoing:

1. Weekly AI monitoring checks
2. Monthly content freshness updates
3. Quarterly business database audits
4. Regular press releases/news

Monitoring setup:

• Brand name + variations
• “out of business” and similar queries
• Competitor mentions
• Industry category queries

Key learning:

This crisis was preventable with monitoring. We should have caught this when it started, not after prospects raised concerns.

Thanks everyone - implementing immediately.