Why does the Gap differ by platform?
Because each AI assistant decides where to look and what to trust in its own way. The same buyer question can produce a different shortlist on ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Mode.
That is why a Gap Audit measures all five and reports each separately. A gain on one platform and a loss on another can cancel out in a single headline figure.
What does a platform pattern reveal?
It shows which kind of evidence is missing. When a company's Gap is narrow on assistants that search the live web and wide on assistants that lean on training, its own website is being read, but the independent sources those assistants weigh, such as reviews, comparisons and analyst coverage, mention its competitors more.
| Platform | Typical use | What it tends to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | The default for most professionals | Established coverage, reviews and comparisons |
| Gemini | Google's assistant | The live web, including company websites |
| Perplexity | Research, with sources shown | The live web, recent articles and named sources |
| Claude | Common inside large organisations | Established coverage and third-party evidence |
| Google AI Mode | AI answers inside Google Search | Google's index and the live web |
How quickly do platforms respond to change?
Live-web assistants can reflect a change within weeks, because they read the current web when they answer. Training-led assistants typically catch up over several months, as their models are updated.
That timing shapes the plan: early proof usually appears on live-web platforms, while the larger shifts on training-led platforms follow later. Platforms also change their underlying models between quarters, so each Gap Pulse records the model version behind every answer and flags any change.
Where should a company start?
With the platform its buyers use most, and the cause behind the widest Gap there. A Gap Check reports results for ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity; a Gap Audit adds Claude and Google AI Mode.