SearchestraWhen AI Has No Source, It Makes One Up, About You
When an AI answer is not tied to a real source, it fills the gap from memory, and that is exactly where invented claims about your brand appear. The fix is not to argue with the model. It is to be the source it grounds on, so it repeats your facts instead of guessing.
No source means the model guesses
A grounded answer points to real content; an ungrounded one leans on whatever the model absorbed, accurate or not. Ungrounded answers are where a fabricated attribute, a wrong price, a made-up flaw about your brand is most likely to surface, and be believed by a buyer you never meet.
Groundable content lowers the risk
| Answer type | Citation odds | Fabrication risk |
|---|---|---|
| Well grounded in your content | Higher | Lower |
| Weakly grounded | Mixed | Higher |
| Ungrounded | Lower | Highest |
You cannot force grounding, but clear, factual, well-attributed content makes you the safe thing to ground on.
See where you are ungrounded
Searchestra flags where answers about you drift from sources, so you can publish the groundable content that both earns citations and lowers the odds of an invented claim reaching a buyer.
Ungrounded answers are where invented brand claims are born; be the groundable source so AI repeats your facts and cites you instead of guessing.
Frequently asked questions
Why does AI invent claims about my brand?
Ungrounded answers fill gaps from memory. Without a real source to ground on, the model is more likely to fabricate.
How do I lower the risk?
Be groundable: publish clear, factual, well-attributed content the model can retrieve and safely repeat.
Does this also help citations?
Yes. The same groundable content that reduces fabrication risk also raises your odds of being cited.