In short: This is the first installment of our series «What does AI say about ...», where we measure what AI models actually recommend in an industry. We started with Oslo restaurants: 1,000 questions about where to eat, put to ChatGPT and Google AI. The result: ChatGPT crowns Statholdergaarden (visibility score 29.1 percent), Google AI sticks with Maaemo (18.2 percent), and the models agree on only five of the ten spots in their top lists. For restaurants it means AI recommendations are already steering guests, and that visibility varies dramatically from model to model.
What did we do?
When someone looks for a place to eat, an AI increasingly gets the question first: «Where should we celebrate our anniversary in Oslo?», «best sushi downtown?», «good Italian that will not break the bank?». We wanted to know who the models actually send the guests to. So we asked them, 1,000 times.
The questions were phrased the way ordinary people ask, varying occasion, cuisine, area and budget, and put to ChatGPT and Google AI. Then we counted: How often was each restaurant recommended? The share of answers featuring a restaurant is its visibility score.
What did we find?
- ChatGPT's favorite: Statholdergaarden. Mentioned in 29.1 percent of the answers where the model recommended restaurants. Nearly every third answer!
- Google AI's favorite: Maaemo. Top score of 18.2 percent with Google, a different winner than ChatGPT's.
- The models deeply disagree. Only five restaurants made both models' top 10 lists. Half of the «AI elite» changes depending on who you ask.
Why do the models disagree so much?
Because they read different sources and weigh them differently. Google AI stands in its own ecosystem: Reviews, maps and profiles. ChatGPT draws more broadly from guides, coverage and editorial content. A restaurant strong in Google's universe but weak in international guides can be a favorite in one place and nearly invisible in another. It is exactly the pattern we see across industries: One model is never the answer key.
What does this mean if you run a restaurant, or anything else?
- AI recommendations already steer guests. The questions people ask AI are purchase-ready: They are actually going out to eat. Being visible in the answers means being first in line when the decision is made.
- You need to know where you stand in each model. High visibility in Google AI helps little if your audience asks ChatGPT. The sources driving each model differ, and so do the remedies.
- This is not just about restaurants. The same mechanics decide which accountants, contractors, lawyers and software get recommended. Restaurants are just a visible example of an invisible shift. For local businesses, local AI answers are the new storefront.
What is next in the series?
«What does AI say about ...» continues with new industries through the fall, real estate agents are up next. The method stays the same: Many questions, several models, counting instead of guessing. Follow along here and on our LinkedIn page, where the findings drop first.
Want to know what AI says about your industry?
The measurement we did for Oslo restaurants is what our platform does continuously for your business: Visibility score per model, the sources behind the answers, and the trend over time. Book a demo and we will run the numbers for your category.