Artificial intelligence is reshaping how brands are perceived. For small-to-medium firms in Sheffield like yours, we understand that reputation is everything. When a name is damaged, companies can expect to experience a rapid loss in customer trust, fewer new clients, loss of sales and other distressing consequences.
Take TalkTalk, for example. They experienced a breach in 2015, compromising over 150,000 customers. This resulted in approximately £77 million in initial costs, and a fine of £400,000 from the ICO. Although they had the means to rebuild themselves and their reputation, the impact was profound, and not all organisations have the same means to keep themselves safe.
So, where does AI come in? More people are turning to generative AI search engines for their information. For SMEs like yours, ensuring you are being talked about by AI is essential. But AI can hallucinate and get things wrong. Is AI saying the right things about your organisation?
The rising use of generative AI in search
More than a quarter of adults rely on generative AI to seek information, with this figure increasing among younger clients.
Generative AI search engines rely on large language models (LLMs) to seek information. How they work includes seeking out the most statistically likely words, accuracy not being a prime objective. For example, ChatGPT could easily draw from an inaccurate or outdated Wikipedia page to represent your brand. This becomes part of the first impression a potential client sees when searching you up, and if it is weak, they may quickly seek a competitor receiving higher praise.
Over 25% of communications leaders already consider ChatGPT, Gemini, and other similar AI platforms to be among the top channels for reputation building in the corporate sphere. And this number is likely to increase over time, with AI platforms only rising in popularity. Another key thing to note is that there is currently a regulatory gap in information. Given the speed of AI development, regulators will not be able to protect organisations from the spread of false information, making it imperative that your SME is represented well online.
Protecting your reputation in Sheffield
Damaging your reputation, especially as an SME in Sheffield, can break your business. Which is why it is imperative to take the measures you can to keep yourself, your employees, and your clients safe.
Depending on the nature of an attack, you could find yourself losing:
- Access to important documents
- Money or other assets, or have systems held at ransom
- Access to services or important accounts
For industries such as finance, healthcare, architecture, and more, trust is everything. Even a small breach can have fatal effects and damage reputation far into the long term. When AI search engines scrape data, they will be met with numerous warnings and actively discourage potential customers from seeking your business.
How do you keep your reputation safe?
Avoiding reputational damage is one of the most important things you can do as an SME in Sheffield. To minimise the risk of it, seek out managed IT support in Sheffield by Daffodil IT. Our experts deliver comprehensible cybersecurity solutions made to defend your business from evolving threats.
These measures include proactive threat protection, continuous monitoring and management, and compliance-focused support from our friendly team at Daffodil IT.
