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PAN, a global integrated marketing and PR agency specializing in B2B tech and healthcare brands, has released original research highlighting significant inaccuracies in citations provided by ChatGPT. The findings, part of PAN's C-Suite Signals program, indicate that AI-generated responses frequently include misattributed or fabricated sources, creating new challenges for brands as senior buyers increasingly use generative AI for initial market and vendor research.
The research focused on prompts designed to mirror how C-suite leaders investigate markets, technologies, and potential solutions. ChatGPT was queried extensively, and each resulting citation underwent manual verification and classification. The results show a clear pattern: while AI responses often appear authoritative with embedded links, nearly one-third fail verification. This includes both subtle misattributions—where content is linked to the wrong domain—and outright fabrications where no such source exists. These errors can inadvertently associate brands with unreliable information or exclude them from credible mentions, influencing buyer perceptions and shortlisting decisions early in the evaluation process.
Buyers are shifting toward generative AI as an initial discovery layer to quickly understand competitive landscapes, compare vendors, and validate claims before deeper engagement with websites, sales teams, or third-party analysts. When AI summaries rely on flawed citations, they risk eroding trust in the referenced brands or creating artificial legitimacy for others. For B2B tech companies, this introduces a dynamic credibility challenge: maintaining accurate representation in AI outputs requires ongoing alignment across PR, content, search visibility, and executive thought leadership to ensure discoverable, verifiable proof points match real-world capabilities.
“For our clients, credibility is no longer something you build once and protect later. It’s something you have to earn, and re-earn, every time a buyer or an AI system looks you up,” said Darlene Doyle, Chief Client Officer at PAN. “When nearly a third of AI-generated citations can be inaccurate or fabricated, clients need partners who are in it with them, helping make their proof easier to find. At PAN, we help brands close that credibility gap by aligning PR, content, web, and executive visibility so what buyers see, what AI summarizes, and what a company can actually deliver all match.”
This research underscores the need for B2B brands to adopt integrated strategies that prioritize AI-era discoverability and accuracy. By proactively shaping how their expertise and proof points appear in generative AI responses, companies can mitigate risks, strengthen perceived reliability, and better support buyer journeys in an increasingly AI-mediated environment.
About PAN
PAN is an award-winning, global, independent, brand-to-demand agency forged from PR that empowers possibility for leading B2B tech and healthcare companies. Storytellers at heart with deep industry experience, a strategic, data-driven mindset, and a fully integrated marketing and communications service offering – PAN has been recognized as Outstanding Tech Agency of the Year by PRWeek, a 2x Technology Agency of the Year, and PRovoke Media’s Data-Driven Agency of the Year.
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