This is the first article in our two-part series on protecting reputation in the AI era.
AI has transformed how content is produced, consumed and verified. Reputation is no longer shaped primarily by news articles or social media posts. AI-powered search increasingly shapes reputation through AI-generated summaries – not a list of links, but responses that distil vast amounts of information into what appears to be an authoritative answer.
A user might ask a chatbot: should I invest in X? Is Y reliable? What does Z not want me to know? The answer may seem definitive, but it will not necessarily be nuanced, accurate or balanced – and the underlying sources, such as reviews, may themselves be AI-generated.
The threats AI poses to reputation are varied and rapidly evolving:
- Deepfakes and voice cloning – used to falsely portray endorsements or controversial views
- AI-assisted review bombing – coordinated fake reviews that distort a business's online profile
- Deepfake intimate imagery – created and circulated without consent
- AI-powered bot campaigns – deployed to harass, dox or overwhelm targets with false claims at speed and scale
Each requires a tailored response, combining legal remedies, platform engagement and strategic communications.
Yet the picture is not entirely bleak. AI also offers powerful tools for those seeking to protect their reputation: real-time media monitoring to detect emerging threats early; sentiment analysis to anticipate shifts in public perception; content verification technology to assess authenticity and support takedown requests; and analytics to distinguish genuine feedback from coordinated inauthentic activity.
Those who invest in understanding and deploying these tools proactively will be best placed not only to defend their reputation, but to shape them.
Leveraging these opportunities requires a clear strategy – and the starting point is getting the fundamentals right:
Step 1: Get your own house in order
- In many ways, the old methods still stand firm. Minimise obvious risks such as gaps in compliance or internal policies; ensure you have a robust crisis protocol; and actively seek out – and address – latent vulnerabilities. You cannot eliminate the risk that people – or chatbots – will tell outright lies, but you can be as vigilant and proactive as possible about homegrown crises.
Step 2: Protect your records
- AI software is getting ever better at forging information, which makes verification harder. When the truth is distorted or an unhelpful narrative takes hold, it is crucial to be able to point to trusted sources. Keep original documents and contemporaneous records, and make them searchable so they are readily available to counter false statements.
We deploy AI-powered content verification tools on behalf of clients to assess the likelihood that material is authentic or AI-generated, strengthening the evidential basis for any challenge.
Step 3: Monitor continuously
- Always-on monitoring is a sensible investment – it allows you to respond swiftly to a serious threat and to prioritise efforts on the greatest risks. AI-powered media monitoring tools are designed to sift through large amounts of data, and we deploy these on behalf of clients to identify emerging threats in real time. Alongside the technology, you need a clear protocol: what are the red lines, which concerns to escalate and how.
For businesses, monitoring must also extend to review platforms and social media, where fake review campaigns and bot-driven pile-ons can cause severe damage in a very short time. The monitoring framework should be configured to capture unusual spikes in review activity or coordinated online behaviour, as well as traditional media coverage.
Step 4: Take targeted action
- Escalating a concern might involve engaging with publishers – whether established media or individual posters – to challenge false allegations or deepfake images. In parallel, content can be flagged to social media platforms and search engines as unlawful or in breach of their terms and conditions. The major platforms all have policies and removal tools covering deepfakes, AI-generated content and misinformation.
Where there is technical evidence that content is AI-generated, we deploy AI detection technology to assess this and present that analysis to platforms – which can materially accelerate the takedown process. Depending on the content and context, it may also be appropriate to notify the police.
These practical steps – preparation, monitoring and targeted action – form the first line of defence. Part 2 sets out the key legal levers for responding to AI-driven reputational harm, covering traditional causes of action, practical enforcement mechanisms, and the developing question of liability for harms caused by AI systems themselves.
How Mishcon can help
Mishcon's Reputation Protection & Crisis Management team brings together expertise across defamation, privacy, harassment and data protection. We use AI-powered monitoring to identify threats in real time, as well as sophisticated technology to assess whether content has been AI-generated.
Our proactive offering includes advising on vulnerabilities in protocols and policies, developing bespoke crisis plans and running simulation exercises. Our reactive offering includes engaging with publishers and platforms to seek corrections and takedowns and, where necessary, formal legal action. We work in close collaboration with colleagues across the firm – including in Cyber Risk & Complex Investigations, Intellectual Property and Fraud – to provide a bespoke and comprehensive response.