Why does an AI assistant have old details about your business, or mix it up with another one?
Often because the assistant is drawing on old or unclear information that an owner can trace: a page or PDF still on your own site, an old listing, a former name or address, a closed location, a business with a similar name, or a duplicate Google profile. Open the answer's sources to see which one, then fix your own site first, then the listings you control, then ask others.
Why a wrong or old detail is possible
Anthropic's help page says "the quality of Claude's responses depends on the underlying sources it references", and the related answer on whether AI assistants get facts wrong covers what an owner can correct in general. This answer traces where an old or mixed-up detail about your business comes from.
Causes an owner can often trace
- An old page or PDF still on your own site, such as a retired menu, brochure or announcement.
- An old listing or directory entry that still shows a former address, phone number or hours.
- A former business name, or an address you have moved from.
- A closed location that is still described as open.
- A business with a similar name in another town.
- A duplicate Google profile for your own business.
How to find which one
Ask the assistant the question that gave the wrong answer, then open the sources it shows. Anthropic's page tells users to review Claude's cited sources when it uses web search results, and Microsoft's FAQ for Copilot Chat at work says it "provides references for where the information originated". Note which page carries the old or mixed-up detail. Not every answer shows sources, and a wrong detail can come from a place you cannot see.
The related answer on checking what ChatGPT says about your business covers how to ask and what to write down.
The order to fix it
- Your own site first. Remove or update old pages and PDFs. If an old page must stay, say plainly at the top that it is out of date and give the date.
- Then the listings and profiles you control. Correct or remove old entries, former names and old addresses. For a second Google profile, the related answer on duplicate Google listings explains what counts as a true duplicate.
- Then ask others. Contact the owner of any other site that carries the old detail and ask for a correction, and use the assistant's feedback control, as the related answer on reporting wrong information in an AI answer describes. A report may not change the answer.
- If another business is using your name, not just sharing a similar one, the related answer on someone using your business name online covers that.
- Then re-check. Ask the same question again every month. Changes can take time, and no one can promise when an assistant will show the corrected detail.
What to state plainly so two businesses are hard to confuse
Put these on your own home and contact pages, in the same plain words each time: your full legal business name, the town and state where you work, what you do in one sentence, and, if a business with a similar name exists, one neutral line saying which company you are not, with its town. That can make two similar names easier to tell apart for people and for assistants, but no one can promise it will stop every mix-up.
Sources
- Anthropic, "Claude is providing incorrect or misleading responses. What’s going on?" (March 16, 2026)
- Microsoft Support, "Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Copilot Chat"
Related answers
- How do you check what ChatGPT says about your business?
- What should you do about duplicate Google listings or a second Google profile for your business?
- What can you do if someone is using your business name online?
- How do you report wrong information an AI assistant gives about your business?
- Do AI assistants get facts about businesses wrong?
GEO: recommended in AI answers
When a customer asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Claude or Google's AI who to call, the answer names a few businesses. GEO is the work of making yours one of them.