Skip to content
nuordinary
FRStart a conversation

Would AI understand what your business actually does?

Would AI understand what I actually do?

If someone asked ChatGPT or Gemini what your business does, would it get the answer right? In this Field Note, Kirk Nelson of nuordinary explains why being understood by AI is different from ranking in search, and gives three questions you can ask an AI today to find out.

Kirk Nelson, founding partner, nuordinaryDecision visibility · No. 02 · Draft for review

A street corner on King Street West at night, a lit Victorian building between towers, a few people crossing
Fig. 01. King Street West at night, Toronto. Credit

Here’s a question I think more business owners should ask themselves: if someone asked AI what my business does, would it get it right?

Not what you think your website says. What would AI actually understand?

Imagine someone asks:

“Who are the best marketing strategists in London for a business that needs help with SEO, paid advertising, websites and AI?”

Would your business even make the list? And if it did, would AI describe you accurately?

  • Would it understand who you help?
  • Would it understand what you actually do?
  • Would it understand the problems you solve?
  • Would it know what makes you different?

Or would it look at your website and come away with something vague like:

“They provide digital marketing services.”

Technically correct. Practically useless.

This is where I think the conversation around SEO and AI search gets interesting. We’ve spent years trying to make websites understandable to search engines. Now we’re entering a world where we’re also trying to make businesses understandable to AI.

And those aren’t exactly the same thing. A search engine can match words. An AI system is trying to understand meaning. That’s a much bigger job.

So I’d try something simple. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini or another AI:

“What does my company actually do?”

Don’t give it any context. Don’t correct it. See what it says.

Then ask: “Who is this company a good fit for?” Then: “Who are its competitors?”

You might learn something. Because if AI can’t clearly explain your business, there’s a good chance your digital presence isn’t as clear as you think it is.

And that’s becoming more important. Because the next question isn’t just: can people find you?

It’s: does the system helping them find you actually understand what you’ve built?