Generative AI has exploded into the mainstream of almost every industry – particularly media and professional communications. The announcement of yet a new, far cheaper system from Chinese-based DeepSeek is now challenging the AI leaders and crushing their stock prices. But what hasn’t changed? Where do they gather facts, statistics, history and, well, all of their information? Search results.

All of these systems, from ChatGPT to Co-Pilot to Grok and now DeepSeek captivate us with their ability to create meaningful text, quality images, and even realistic animation and video. But behind this magic lies a crucial ingredient: content. And the lion’s share of that comes from the vast expanse of the internet, meticulously indexed and organized by search engines, particularly Google. Without search results, these systems could not generate answers to queries or create automated blogs for corporate websites.

Google Search: The Unofficial Training Ground for AI

Think of generative AI as a student learning from a massive library. This library isn’t a physical building but the digital world, with Google Search acting as the librarian, guiding the AI to relevant information.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Crawling and Indexing: Google’s web crawlers constantly scour the internet, collecting information from websites and storing it in a massive index. This  is like a giant catalog, allowing Google to quickly retrieve relevant information when someone performs a search.
  2. Data Processing: Generative AI models are trained on enormous datasets, including text, images, and code scraped from the internet. Google Search results provide a structured and easily accessible source of this data.
  3. Learning and Generating: By analyzing this data, AI models learn patterns and relationships in language, images, and other forms of content. This enables them to generate new, original content that resembles what they’ve learned.

The Importance of Accurate Online Information

Since Google Search plays a vital role in feeding data to AI systems, the accuracy and currency of your online information become paramount. Here’s why:

  • AI Accuracy: If your company’s website contains outdated or incorrect information, AI models may learn and perpetuate these inaccuracies. This can lead to AI-generated content that misrepresents your business, harming your reputation.
  • Search Visibility: Google’s algorithms prioritize accurate and up-to-date information. Ensuring your website is current improves your search ranking, making it more likely that AI systems will encounter and learn from your content. The more “owned” or “earned” content that defines your business or organization that is indexed by search engines, the better.
  • Brand Management: Inaccurate information online can confuse customers and damage your brand. By maintaining accurate information, you ensure that AI systems and potential customers, partners or investors receive the correct message about your company.

Key Takeaways for Businesses

In the age of generative AI, managing your online presence is no longer just about attracting customers; it’s about shaping how AI perceives and represents your business. Here are some crucial steps:

  • Regular Website Updates: Keep your website content fresh and accurate, including product information, contact details, and company news. Create new content frequently and seek third-party coverage.
  • SEO Optimization: Employ search engine optimization techniques to improve your website’s visibility and ensure Google can easily crawl and index your content.
  • Online Reputation Management: Routinely monitor your online presence and address any inaccuracies or negative information promptly. And remember, search engines generally and Google, the source for more than 90 percent of searches, is localized, often down to the Zip Code domestically and regionally around the world – in native languages.

By prioritizing the accuracy and currency of your online information, you not only improve your search visibility and brand reputation but also contribute to the responsible development of generative AI systems.

Lightbox Search is the technology platform my team and I created to reveal how Google displays relevant results for your brand – and why results appear in the order they do. You will see at a glance if your results match your goals for your company or organization’s reputation. With the explosive growth of AI, search results are more important than ever. Knowing how you can correct, strengthen or optimize your results is no longer optional – its a critical necessity.