Your Store’s Information May Be Altered by Google’s AI Without Your Knowledge

Have you ever searched for your store’s name on Google? Are the displayed details—such as business hours, address, and menu—accurate?

Now, the very notion of “accuracy” is being fundamentally shaken.

Launched in earnest in 2024, Google’s “AI Overviews” feature displays AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. In response to user queries, the AI provides “answers.” This sounds convenient. However, the problem lies in the fact that these answers can sometimes be incorrect.

According to multiple studies, the accuracy rate of AI Overviews is about 90%. You might think, “Isn’t 90% good enough?” But with Google handling approximately 8.5 billion searches per day, that means about 850 million pieces of misinformation could be generated daily if 10% of the answers are wrong. When broken down hourly, that translates to tens of millions. The phrase “millions of lies every hour” might even be an understatement.

For small businesses, this is not just someone else’s problem.

What’s Happening—An Experiment Where Scientists Deceived AI with a ‘Fake Disease’

A symbolic case illustrating the seriousness of the situation involves a research team that published information about a non-existent disease online. They created fictitious symptoms and treatments. Consequently, Google’s AI began to incorporate this false information as “facts” and displayed it in search results.

While this was an intentional experiment, similar occurrences are happening unintentionally in the real world. Inaccurate reviews posted on social media, misinformation from outdated blog articles, and malicious posts by competitors—all of these could be learned by the AI as “reliable sources” and reflected in search results.

The nightmare for small businesses is this: misinformation stating that their products have “safety issues” exists somewhere, and Google’s AI picks it up, displaying it at the top of search results. Users may take it as “correct because Google says so.”

What recourse is there? Almost none. Currently, there is no system in place for individual businesses to request corrections to the content generated by AI Overviews.

Specific Damages Faced by Small Businesses

Large corporations have PR departments. They use brand monitoring tools to keep a 24-hour watch on mentions of their brand online. If misinformation arises, their legal and PR teams spring into action.

A local construction company with 15 employees doesn’t have such resources.

Let’s outline the specific damages that can be anticipated.

1. Alteration of Google My Business Information
There have been reports of business hours, phone numbers, and locations being incorrectly displayed by AI. If a store that is “closed on Wednesdays” is shown as “open year-round,” customers will arrive on Wednesday only to find the store closed. They may never return.

2. Incorrect Ratings from AI Overviews
If the AI generates a summary stating, “This store has a bad reputation for XX,” even if actual reviews are positive, users may leave without further investigation, relying solely on the AI summary. Data shows that click-through rates from organic searches dropped by an average of about 25% after the introduction of AI Overviews.

3. Misinformation from Competitors Affecting Your Business
Misinformation about competitors can tarnish the image of the entire industry and negatively impact your business. If an AI-generated summary states, “Restaurants in this area have poor hygiene management,” all local establishments suffer damage.

So, How Can Small Businesses Protect Themselves?

Simply blaming Google won’t change the situation. It’s time to consider realistic defensive measures.

① Increase the ‘Correct Data’ for Your Business Information
AI tends to judge information found online as “correct” based on its abundance. Ensure accurate and consistent information is published across all platforms: your website, Google My Business, social media, and industry directories. The “quantity” of information influences AI’s judgment.

Specifically, unifying NAP information (Name, Address, Phone) is fundamental. If your website lists “XYZ Corporation” and Google My Business shows “(株)XYZ,” even this discrepancy could be recognized by AI as different information.

② Check Google My Business Weekly
Not just once a month, but every week. AI-driven information alterations can occur without warning. Business hours, categories, photos, and responses to reviews—this can all be done in just 15 minutes, but neglecting it could lead to severe consequences.

③ Maintain Your Own Media
Having customer touchpoints that are not reliant on search engines is the best risk hedge. Email newsletters, official LINE accounts, and Instagram—these are ways to connect directly with customers without going through “Google’s filter.”

You can start with zero to a few thousand yen per month. Even if Google’s search algorithms change, your email newsletter subscriber list won’t disappear. The value of having “your own customer list” is actually increasing in the AI era.

④ Regularly Conduct Ego Searches
Search for your business name, product name, and representative name once a month to see what appears in AI Overviews. If you find any odd information, send feedback to Google while simultaneously disseminating accurate information on your own site.

What’s Happening Structurally?

Stepping back to think about this, it’s a discussion about how the “cost of information reliability” has changed.

Until now, Google search results were relatively trustworthy. Websites that appeared at the top had a certain level of authority. However, with the introduction of AI Overviews, “AI-summarized information” now takes precedence. The mechanisms to ensure the reliability of that information have yet to catch up.

The lesson for small businesses is clear. “The era of leaving information to search engines is over.” Your information should be managed and disseminated by you. The cost of doing so is just a few hours and a few thousand yen per month. The risk of entrusting your reputation to AI while skimping on this is far greater.

Google’s AI will continue to evolve. Its accuracy will likely improve. However, the day when it becomes “100% accurate” will never come. Therefore, starting today, you should establish a system to protect your information.