GoKawiilStudy: AI chatbot answers shift brand recommendations based on query language
A researcher in Tallinn ran 234 controlled tests across four countries and six languages and found that ChatGPT recommends different companies depending on whether a question is asked in a local language or in English. For example, asking in Norwegian for accounting software surfaced Fiken, Tripletex and Conta, while the identical question in English returned FreshBooks, QuickBooks and Wave. The study found a global brand appeared in just one of 24 local-language runs, while local suppliers appeared in none of 12 English-language runs from Istanbul and Tallinn.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The findings suggest that companies measuring their visibility in AI chat tools only in English may be tracking a market they barely compete in, since local-language queries appear to favor local products almost exclusively. This could mean non-US businesses need language-specific strategies to appear in AI-generated recommendations, rather than assuming a single global presence translates across languages. An agency owner cited in the piece says this pattern is already prompting clients to seek mentions in multiple languages.
- ChatGPT's recommendations can differ entirely based on the language used to ask the same question.
- A Tallinn-based researcher's 234-test study found global brands rarely surfaced in local-language queries, and vice versa.
- Businesses tracking AI visibility only in English may be missing how they appear to non-English-speaking customers.
Source: entrepreneur.com — Boris Dzhingarov, 2026-10-16
Published there as: “Ask AI the Same Question in Another Language and Watch Your Brand Vanish”
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