PAN Communications Study Finds AI Answers Change 50% to 60% of the Time

C-suite leaders navigating the changing role of AI in business decision-making. AI-generated illustration.

As more executives turn to AI for information and advice, communication professionals have a new challenge. What does AI say about their companies, and how often does that answer change?

A new study from PAN Communications found that AI answers to the same C-suite questions changed substantially 50% to 60% of the time over just four weeks.

The agency's C-Suite Signals: AI Citation Index analyzed 31,500 responses from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, tracking 154,944 citations from 16,503 domains.

One of the most interesting findings is the role of trusted sources. Only 42% of sources cited in the first week were still being cited in week four. But established organizations held their positions much longer. The National Institutes of Health retained 76% of its citation positions, Deloitte 68% and SHRM 67%. Reddit and Medium were considerably lower, at 21% and 27%, respectively.

For communication professionals, that is worth paying attention to. Earned media, industry relationships and credible third-party voices may be more important than ever as AI becomes another way people discover and evaluate companies.

“Leaders want to know whether their brand shows up when an executive asks AI for advice, and our data shows that answer can change from one week to the next,” said Mark Nardone, CMO of PAN Communications.

The research also found considerable differences depending on the executive role. AI responses varied 39% of the time for questions relevant to Chief Human Resources Officers, compared with 70% for Chief Medical Officers. ChatGPT was the most consistent of the four platforms studied.

LinkedIn was the most frequently cited domain, but represented only 5% of total citations, another indication of just how many sources AI draws upon.

The findings raise some practical questions for communication teams. Are companies monitoring how they appear in AI-generated answers? Do they know which publications and organizations are influencing those answers? And should AI visibility become part of how they measure the impact of communication programs?

PAN Communications is already incorporating these insights into client work, including programs for Nuvei, DynaMed and Tungsten Automation that combine earned media, executive thought leadership and other communication channels.

As AI becomes a bigger part of how executives gather information, communication professionals have another reason to pay attention to where their companies appear and who is telling their stories.

The technology may be new, but the importance of credible sources and trusted relationships is not.

Read the full PAN Communications C-Suite Signals: AI Citation Index for additional findings and executive-level insights.