{
  "title": "Why AI recommends a local business",
  "url": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/",
  "publisher": "AI Syndicate Research",
  "published": "2026-10-08",
  "modified": "2026-10-08",
  "period": "2026-10-01/2026-10-07",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "cite": "AI Syndicate Research, \"Why AI Recommends a Local Business: What 12 AI Assistants Said About 130,996 Picks,\" October 2026, measured 1–7 October 2026, https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/",
  "note": "Ranges are 95% bootstrap intervals, resampling markets.",
  "findings": [
    {
      "finding": "Share of 12 AI assistants' local business recommendations that come with at least one stated reason",
      "value": 71.9,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        71.2,
        72.7
      ],
      "sample": "130,996 picks, 1,000 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#reasons"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of AI local business recommendations citing reviews or ratings as a reason",
      "value": 30.7,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        29.9,
        31.6
      ],
      "sample": "130,996 picks, 1,000 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#reasons"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of AI local business recommendations citing price or value as a reason",
      "value": 32.2,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        31.6,
        32.7
      ],
      "sample": "130,996 picks, 1,000 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#reasons"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of picks with a stated reason: web-search, memory and voice assistants",
      "value": "75% / 69% / 64%",
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "130,996 picks",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#reasons"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of picks with no stated reason: first business listed vs fifth",
      "value": "16% vs 26%",
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "Answers naming 5+ businesses",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#reasons"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of star ratings quoted by AI for recommended local businesses that were 4.5 or higher",
      "value": 90.1,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        88.8,
        91.3
      ],
      "sample": "17,940 ratings quoted",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#reviews"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of star ratings quoted by AI for recommended local businesses that were below 4.0",
      "value": 1.6,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "17,940 ratings quoted",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#reviews"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of picks with a quoted review count: web-search, memory and voice assistants",
      "value": "12.6% / 1.8% / 0.8%",
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "130,996 picks",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#reviews"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of Mistral's local picks that came with a star rating (answering from memory)",
      "value": 30.9,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "18,125 picks",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#quoted-numbers"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of businesses where Mistral's star rating matched the web-search assistants' to within 0.1 stars",
      "value": 36,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "276 businesses",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#quoted-numbers"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of businesses where a web-search assistant's star rating matched the other web-search assistants' to within 0.1 stars",
      "value": "70–82%",
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "115–864 businesses per assistant",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#quoted-numbers"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of picks for \"affordable\" questions that come with a price reason",
      "value": 71,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "12 assistants, 1,000 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#affordable"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of AI answers to \"affordable\" local questions that give a dollar figure",
      "value": 50.7,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "12 assistants, 1,000 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#affordable"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of AI answers about local businesses that named no business",
      "value": 13.2,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        12.7,
        13.9
      ],
      "sample": "31,516 answers",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#no-names"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of answers naming no business: memory, voice and web-search assistants",
      "value": "24.0% / 13.3% / 4.3%",
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "31,516 answers",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#no-names"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of Grok's answers about lawyers that named no lawyer",
      "value": 86.8,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "593 answers",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#no-names"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of AI answers about roofing that tell the customer to get several quotes",
      "value": 66.9,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "12 assistants, 1,000 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#advice"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of AI answers about electricians that tell the customer to check the licence or insurance",
      "value": 59.1,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "12 assistants, 1,000 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#advice"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of answers telling the customer to check reviews: memory, web-search and voice assistants",
      "value": "49.5% / 8.5% / 3.5%",
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "31,516 answers",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#advice"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of AI answers about local businesses that name Google, Yelp and the Better Business Bureau",
      "value": "38% / 29% / 20%",
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "31,516 answers",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#sites-named"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of AI answers about lawyers that name Avvo and the state bar",
      "value": "48% / 47%",
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "Legal answers, 12 assistants",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/why-ai-recommends-local-businesses-october-2026/#sites-named"
    }
  ]
}