When Was The Last Time You Have "AI"ed / Googled Yourself?

Written By Alexandra Aryaan

I recently did a SWOT analysis for both my nonprofit and my for-profit businesses, using my website URLs, and I got some surprising results. This exercise led me down a fascinating rabbit hole about how AI systems are learning about our organizations - and why WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION.

The New Digital Reality Check

With AI rapidly increasing in power and reach, the traditional advice to "Google yourself" has evolved into something much more complex. Today's digital landscape requires us to understand not just what shows up in Google search results, but how AI systems are interpreting, storing, and sharing information about us and our organizations.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Unlike traditional search engines that simply index and retrieve information, AI systems actively process, synthesize, and sometimes create narratives about organizations. They pull from multiple sources, cross-reference data, and attempt to provide “comprehensive” answers. This means:

  • Information you update on platforms like GuideStar can appear in AI responses within weeks or even days!

  • Incorrect information can be harder to correct once AI systems have "learned" it. For example, if you change your services on your website, AI might give incorrect / old information to searchers.

  • Increased usage over Google. AI-generated summaries are increasingly being used by researchers, investors, partners, and donors to make quick assessments.

The Hallucination Problem

AI, please get off of acid! Why must you hallucinate so often?

AI systems still "hallucinate" a lot - aka generating plausible-sounding but incorrect information. For organizations, this can mean:

  • Misrepresented mission statements

  • Incorrect financial data

  • Fabricated achievements or partnerships

  • Wrong contact information or leadership details

  • Confused identity with similar organizations

In my opinion, these errors aren't just embarrassing; they’re frightening because they can affect public perception. We used to manually add data to our websites and social media pages, always having a quality control check. Now, it’s hard to tell what data is real or not, in almost every domain.

What I Discovered in My Own Audit

When I ran my SWOT analysis and cross-checked with AI platforms, I found a mix of accurate and inaccurate information being generated about the businesses I’ve poured my heart and soul into over the last few years:

  • Good: My recent GuideStar/Candid updates were already reflected in ChatGPT's knowledge base, after less than a month, showing how quickly these systems can incorporate new information when it comes from authoritative sources.

  • Concerning: Some older, outdated information persisted alongside the new data, creating a confusing narrative about my organization's current service offerings and priorities.

  • Unexpected: The AI made some interesting connections between my nonprofit and for-profit work that I hadn't explicitly stated anywhere - some requiring fixes.

Try “AI”ing Yourself!

I REALLY recommend that you take an hour to do this exercise to avoid any surprises. It’s all about risk mitigation, right? And, as you know, many people are turning to AI over Google for web searches these days.

Step 1: Conduct An AI Audit

I recommend checking multiple platforms such as:

  • ChatGPT: Ask direct questions about your organization

  • Claude: Query for information about your work and mission

  • Perplexity: Search for your organization's name and key programs

  • Google's Gemini: Request a summary of your organization

  • Microsoft Copilot: Ask about your organization's impact and achievements

Step 2: Document What You Find in a Spreadsheet or Correct It Right Away

  • Ask the AI directly: "Where did you get this information about [organization name]?"

    • Check if these sources actually contain the mentioned information

  • Submitting feedback and correcting information directly to AI platforms will not fix the problem. However, if there is a large error, you may be able to report it.

Step 3: Perform Traditional Search Engine Checks

  • Search your organization name in quotes

  • Check the first three pages of results

  • Review Google's Knowledge Panel (if you have one)

  • Make sure that these pages have up-to-date and accurate information

Alexandra Aryaan https://fundingstrategycollab.com/
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