AI and Brand Reputation: How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping Media Trust

Researchers tested how artificial intelligence evaluates the 100 most valuable brands in the world – specifically from the perspective of their quality, trustworthiness, innovation and overall value. It turned out that AI most frequently draws from traditional editorial media – these most influence its responses. They account for 61% of all AI-generated responses, dominating especially when evaluating trustworthiness (65%) and brand value (72%).

Even now, when digital platforms dominate and content is largely generated by artificial intelligence, classical editorial journalism remains the main trusted source.

Getting mentioned in relevant media still carries great weight. And that’s precisely why a good PR strategy is worth more than ever .

AI Trusts Brands – Perhaps Too Much

Brands’ own content has a surprisingly strong influence on AI—especially in the areas of innovation (66%) and quality (55%). LLM models often uncritically adopt brand claims as facts. For questions like “Is this company trustworthy?” they answer in the style of “They claim they are – so yes.”

“Large language models rely on editorial and proprietary content when creating an image of companies. Unlike journalists, however, they cannot apply critical thinking or form an independent view,” states the survey from Hard Numbers.

While artificial intelligence doesn’t trust company statements much when assessing trustworthiness or price, it allows itself to be influenced much more by them on topics like innovation and quality. It’s both an opportunity and a risk ; it depends on how responsibly brands handle their content.

Companies are beginning to take AI systems seriously – approaching them similarly to journalists or investors, because they influence brand perception.

AI and Brand Reputation: A New Era of SEO Optimisation

Search engine optimisation is still very important, but its boundaries are expanding. It’s no longer just about Google. Brands are increasingly monitoring how AI language models process their content. These models have their own rules. As research shows, AI relies mainly on optimised content. It must have a clear structure, correct metadata, and quality cross-linking.

Such pages appeared more frequently as sources in AI-generated responses, especially for topics related to innovation.

SEO isn’t dead. But brands must also take into account how artificial intelligence “thinks”.

Content Strategy Must Also be Ethical 

At first glance, it might seem that if AI trusts verified sources and editorial content, the risk of misinformation should be low. Research shows the opposite, however. Artificial intelligence draws from sources that technically appear trustworthy but cannot themselves recognise whether information is true or misleading.

It cannot think critically like a journalist; it cannot question unverified claims or ask follow-up questions. This means that if a brand creates content that is well-optimised, structured and formally looks trustworthy, AI may adopt it without reservation – even in cases where a human could easily detect manipulation. That’s why the document warns of the growing risk of misinformation.

In an environment where AI replaces classical searching and people increasingly rely on brief answers without fact-checking, the responsibility of brands is even more important than before. Trustworthiness no longer concerns only the content itself but also how artificial intelligence processes it and passes it on without critical filtering.

AI doesn’t change the rules of reputation building but significantly strengthens what already works— especially the power of editorial content. Artificial intelligence also significantly influences how brands work with content, where they appear, and what tone they choose today.