Will AI Make Up False Information About My Business? How to Fix It

Yes, sometimes. AI tools can get business details wrong: old hours, wrong prices, closed locations, even services you don't offer. This usually happens when information about you is outdated, inconsistent or missing. You can't edit ChatGPT directly, but you can correct the sources it relies on, and the errors drop.

For a small business, a wrong answer can be expensive. A customer told you're "closed on weekends" goes elsewhere on Saturday. One told you "don't service the northern suburbs" never calls. And you'll never know it happened. Here's how to find those errors and fix them.

Why does AI get business information wrong?

AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews don't look your business up in an official register. They piece together an answer from what they've learned and what they can find online. When those sources are patchy or contradictory, the AI fills the gaps, and sometimes it fills them badly.

The most common causes are:

• Outdated sources. An old directory listing, a news article from three years ago or an archived version of your website.

• Inconsistent details. Different hours on your website, Google Business Profile and Facebook page. The AI has to pick one.

• Missing information. If nothing online states your service area or prices clearly, the AI may guess from similar businesses.

• Name confusion. Businesses with similar names, or multiple businesses at the same address, can get blended together.

• Training cut-offs. Some AI answers rely on data that's months or years old, so recent changes such as a move, a new service or new hours may not be reflected.

This is sometimes called "hallucination", but for businesses it's usually less mysterious than it sounds. Most errors trace back to a specific source that's wrong or missing.

It's not a rare problem either. A 2026 test of AI chatbots on UK retailers, reported by Resultsense, found the chatbots answered almost every question, but roughly one answer in 16 was false, and 64% of the businesses tested had at least one falsehood returned about them.

What kinds of errors are most common?

In the audits we run, the same mistakes come up again and again:

• Wrong opening hours or public holiday hours

• An old address or phone number

• The business described as "permanently closed" or "no longer operating"

• Services listed that you don't offer, or ones you do offer left out

• Wrong service areas

• Outdated or invented prices

• Confusion with a competitor or a similarly named business

• Old staff or owners named as current

• Reviews or complaints attributed to the wrong business

Some are minor. Others, like "permanently closed", can quietly cost you a lot of work.

How do you find out what AI says about you?

Ask it directly. Run a set of simple prompts in a fresh, logged-out chat on ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, and search them in Google to check the AI Overview:

• "What can you tell me about [Business Name] in [City]?"

• "What are [Business Name]'s opening hours?"

• "What services does [Business Name] offer, and where?"

• "Is [Business Name] still open?"

• "What do customers say about [Business Name]?"

Write down every error, and where the tool shows sources, note which websites it cited. That's your trail back to the problem. Our guide to checking whether your business appears in ChatGPT has a full prompt list and tracking sheet.

How do you fix incorrect AI information?

You can't log in and edit ChatGPT's answer. What you can do is fix the information it relies on, so the next answer is right. Work through these in order.

1. Make your website the definitive source

Your website should state your key facts clearly, in plain text: business name, address, phone, hours, service areas, services and price guidance. Put them on your contact page and relevant service pages. If something changed, such as a move, new hours or a discontinued service, say so explicitly. ("We moved from Newtown to Marrickville in March 2026.")

2. Update your Google Business Profile

This is one of the most influential sources for Google AI Overviews and Gemini. Check every field: hours (including special hours), address, service areas, categories, services, description and phone. If your profile has been wrongly marked as closed, fix that first.

3. Clean up directories and social profiles

Update or remove old listings on Yellow Pages, True Local, hipages, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook and industry directories. Search for your business name and old address to find listings you've forgotten about.

4. Add structured data

Schema markup (such as LocalBusiness and FAQPage) gives machines your facts in a format they can't misread. It's a job for your web developer, and it's worth doing.

5. Use the feedback tools

Most AI tools let you flag a bad answer. It won't fix things overnight, but it adds a signal.

Can you report errors to ChatGPT, Gemini or Google?

Yes, to a point:

• ChatGPT: Use the thumbs-down button on the response and explain what's wrong. OpenAI also has a process for privacy and accuracy concerns through its help centre.

• Gemini: Use the thumbs-down or "report" option on the response.

• Google AI Overviews: Click the feedback option under the overview. For errors that come from your listing, fix your Google Business Profile, which is the faster route.

• Perplexity: Flag the answer, and check the cited sources. Fixing those sources is the real fix.

Treat reporting as a supplement. The lasting fix is correcting the sources.

Example Results: a Sydney café listed as "permanently closed"

A café in Sydney's inner west noticed weekend trade dropping. A regular mentioned that Google's AI Overview had described the café as "permanently closed".

The cause turned out to be simple. The owners had moved two doors down the street a year earlier. The old location's listing had been marked closed, but a duplicate listing was still floating around, and several directories still showed the old address. The AI had joined the dots the wrong way.

The fix took one afternoon: merging the duplicate Google listing, updating five directories, adding a "we've moved" note and LocalBusiness schema to the website, and submitting feedback on the AI Overview. Within a few weeks, AI answers showed the café as open at its new address.

How do you stop it happening again?

Prevention is mostly routine maintenance:

• Update everywhere at once. When hours, address or services change, update your website, Google Business Profile, social profiles and main directories on the same day.

• Check AI answers monthly. A 15-minute prompt check catches errors before they cost you much.

• Keep your website current. Remove old prices, services and staff. Add dates to announcements.

• Keep reviews flowing. Recent reviews signal that you're open and active.

• Build accurate mentions. The more credible sources describe you correctly, the less room there is for error.

For a full review, work through our AI visibility audit checklist. You may also find our guide useful, along with how to get your business recommended by AI. And if you're wondering what your investment will be, read How much does AI SEO cost?

Sources

• Resultsense, "AI chatbots misstate facts on 64% of UK retailers", 16 July 2026

What can I do legally if AI says something false about my business?

This is a developing area of law, and it depends on the circumstances. If a false AI statement is seriously harming your business, speak to a lawyer for advice. In most cases, correcting the underlying sources and reporting the error is the fastest practical fix.

How long do corrections take to show?

When AI tools search the web live, as Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT search often do, corrections can appear within days to a few weeks. Answers drawn from older training data can take longer to change.

Does schema markup help AI get facts right?

Yes. Structured data states your business details in a clear, machine-readable format, which reduces the chance of misreading. It works best alongside a consistent website and Google Business Profile.

Should I respond to wrong AI answers publicly?

Usually there's no need. Focus on fixing the sources. If customers raise the error, correct it politely, and if a false claim is spreading, a clear, dated update on your website and social profiles gives both people and AI an accurate source to cite.

Find out what AI is saying about you

Not sure whether AI has your details right? Get an AI visibility audit from Proficlix. We'll check what ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews say about your business, flag every error, and show you exactly how to fix them. Get my AI visibility audit →

• Yes, AI gets business facts wrong. One 2026 study found false answers about 64% of the UK retailers it tested.

• Most errors trace back to an outdated, inconsistent or missing source.

• You can't edit ChatGPT, but fixing your website, Google Business Profile and directories fixes the answers.