{
  "title": "How close is the race to be AI's local pick?",
  "url": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/",
  "publisher": "AI Syndicate Research",
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "modified": "2026-10-14",
  "period": "2026-10-01/2026-10-12",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "cite": "AI Syndicate Research, \"How Close Is the Race to Be AI's Local Pick? What It Takes to Rank in 1,400 US Markets,\" October 2026, measured 1–12 October 2026, https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/",
  "note": "Ranges are 95% bootstrap intervals, resampling markets.",
  "findings": [
    {
      "finding": "Median number of different businesses 12 AI assistants named in one local market",
      "value": 51,
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": [
        50,
        52
      ],
      "sample": "1,400 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#crowd"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Median number of businesses named often enough to rank (two or more answers) in one market",
      "value": 20,
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "1,400 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#crowd"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of the businesses AI named in a market that came up in only one answer",
      "value": 61.9,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        61.4,
        62.4
      ],
      "sample": "1,056 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#crowd"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Median number of answers that named the #1 business in a market",
      "value": 14,
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "1,400 markets, median 31 answers each",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#ladder"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Median number of answers that named the #3 business in a market",
      "value": 8,
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": [
        8,
        8
      ],
      "sample": "1,398 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#ladder"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Median number of answers that named the #10 business in a market",
      "value": 3,
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "1,377 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#ladder"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets where #1 was named in two or fewer more answers than #2",
      "value": 49.9,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        47.4,
        52.4
      ],
      "sample": "1,400 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#margins"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets where #1 and #2 were named in the same number of answers",
      "value": 12.5,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        10.7,
        14.3
      ],
      "sample": "1,400 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#margins"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets where #3 and #4 were one answer apart or less",
      "value": 64.1,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        61.6,
        66.9
      ],
      "sample": "1,397 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#margins"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Median number of AI assistants that named the #1 business in a market",
      "value": 7,
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "1,400 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#breadth"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of top-three places that went to a business five or more assistants named",
      "value": 76.4,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        74.8,
        78
      ],
      "sample": "4,196 places",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#breadth"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of top-three places that went to a business two or fewer assistants named",
      "value": 1.1,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        0.7,
        1.5
      ],
      "sample": "4,196 places",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#breadth"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of ranked businesses named by only one AI assistant",
      "value": 21.5,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        20.8,
        22.2
      ],
      "sample": "27,845 ranked businesses",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#breadth"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets where Gemini named the market's #1 (highest of 12 assistants)",
      "value": 93.3,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "1,395 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#assistants"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets where Mistral named the market's #1 (lowest of 12 assistants)",
      "value": 58.2,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "1,146 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#assistants"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets where the overall #1 was also #1 for the \"best affordable\" question",
      "value": 44,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "1,390 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#wording"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets that were wide open (the #1 named in under a third of answers, or led by one answer or less)",
      "value": 40.8,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        38.3,
        43.4
      ],
      "sample": "1,400 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#open-markets"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets with a clear leader (named in half the answers and five or more ahead)",
      "value": 20.2,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        18.2,
        22.4
      ],
      "sample": "1,400 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#open-markets"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of criminal defense lawyer markets that were wide open (most open trade)",
      "value": 69,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "70 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#open-markets"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets where the #1 was a national brand (top three in five or more markets)",
      "value": 13.3,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        11.5,
        15
      ],
      "sample": "1,400 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/how-close-is-the-ai-local-race-october-2026/#open-markets"
    }
  ]
}