When someone asks an artificial intelligence platform for the best restaurants in Paris or the largest technology companies in America, the AI typically has plenty to say. But ask about the family-owned manufacturer ten miles away, a respected local accountant, or a nonprofit doing remarkable work in the community, and the response may be very different. Sometimes, the AI simply doesn't know. That gap raises an increasingly important question as millions of Americans begin using AI to decide what to buy, where to go, and whom to trust: will local businesses and communities be adequately represented in the AI age?
Artificial intelligence systems don't experience communities the way people do. They don't drive down Main Street, attend the Rotary Club luncheon, watch the high school football game, or hear a neighbor recommend a local contractor. They depend heavily on information that is available digitally. This creates a structural imbalance: large national companies generate enormous amounts of online content, are covered by national media, and are mentioned constantly across the internet. A highly respected local business may have only a website, a Facebook page, and a handful of reviews. That difference could become increasingly consequential.
For decades, local businesses grew largely through reputation and word of mouth. Those recommendations aren't going away, but consumers now have another place to ask for advice: AI. Someone moving to a new community might ask an AI assistant, "Who are the most respected financial advisers near me?" A homeowner might ask, "What local companies can replace my roof?" A parent could ask, "What organizations in my area provide tutoring for teenagers?" And a business owner might ask, "Who are the leading accountants for small businesses in this region?" The answers AI provides depend, in part, on the information available for it to discover and understand.
That dynamic creates an interesting new role for local journalism. Local newspapers have always documented the life of their communities: new businesses, civic organizations, local experts, elections, charitable activities, economic development, and the people doing noteworthy things. Those stories aren't simply today's news; they also become part of a community's digital history. "Local newspapers document things that frequently aren't documented anywhere else," said Rick Smith, founder and CEO of News USA, which has distributed editorial content to news organizations across the country for nearly four decades. "As people increasingly ask AI systems questions rather than simply searching Google, credible local information may become even more valuable. If information about a community doesn't exist online, an AI system has very little to work with."
Being good, however, is not the same as being discoverable. Consider two local businesses. One has operated successfully for 25 years, supports community organizations, and has hundreds of loyal customers—but has generated very little independent information online. The other is relatively new but has been interviewed by local media, publishes useful information about its industry, and has developed a substantial digital presence. A longtime resident may know immediately which business has the stronger reputation. An AI system doesn't have that life experience; it has information. That doesn't mean businesses should manufacture publicity simply to influence AI, nor does appearing in an article guarantee that ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, or another AI system will mention or recommend a company. It does suggest that accurate, credible information about local organizations needs to exist in places where people—and potentially machines—can find it.
For years, business owners were told to ask, "Can people find us on Google?" Now there may be a second question: "What happens when people ask AI about us?" News USA has begun examining that question through what it calls AI Authority—looking at how companies appear across major AI platforms, how their competitors appear, and what credible information about the company exists online. The answers can sometimes be surprising. A company may have a beautiful website and excellent search-engine rankings but barely appear when consumers ask AI systems questions about its industry. Another company may repeatedly appear because there is a larger body of independent information supporting its expertise and reputation.
There's a remarkably simple experiment anyone can conduct. Open your favorite AI platform and ask it five questions about your community: What businesses is this town known for? Who are some respected local entrepreneurs? What are the best locally owned businesses? What organizations are making a difference here? What should someone moving here know about the community? Then look at what's missing. Long-established businesses may be absent. Important nonprofit organizations may not appear. Community leaders everyone in town knows may be invisible. There may even be outdated or incorrect information. That gap between what a community actually knows about itself and what artificial intelligence knows about it could become one of the more interesting challenges of the AI era.
Artificial intelligence is often discussed as though its future will be determined entirely in Silicon Valley. But its usefulness will also depend upon the quality of information coming from thousands of communities across America. That's where local journalism has something technology cannot easily manufacture: firsthand knowledge of a community. The restaurant opening downtown. The third-generation manufacturer adding 40 jobs. The teacher receiving a statewide award. The entrepreneur building an unusual company. The nonprofit quietly helping hundreds of families. Individually, they are local stories. Collectively, they are the record of a community. And in an era when machines increasingly help people discover information, preserving that record may matter more than anyone expected. To learn more about how organizations can evaluate what leading AI platforms know about them, visit NewsUSA.
