Investors now ask AI chatbots about you before the first meeting

Before an investor sits down with you, there is a good chance they have already asked an AI chatbot about you. That is the message from Genius PR founder Kim Than and co-founder Jamie Kingsley, in a story from Inc. published November 6, 2026. They say AI is changing how reputations are built and checked.

What changed

People used to search your name and read a few links. Now they can ask an AI tool to size you up and get a quick answer. According to the Inc. piece, this is happening before first meetings. Kim Than, a Forbes 30 Under 30 founder, says she is worried about what that means for founders.

Who it affects

Anyone who is vetted before a meeting could be touched by this. That includes business owners looking for funding, partners or customers. If an AI tool pulls up old, thin or wrong information about you or your company, that may be the first impression someone gets.

PR teams are also adjusting. The story says they are working to shape what AI finds in the public record. That means the information that is already online about you now has a new audience.

What to do

• Ask a few AI chatbots about you and your business, then read the answers closely.
• Note anything that is outdated, missing or wrong.
• Fix the weak spots in the public sources those tools may pick up.

What is not known yet

The full article was not available, so key details are unclear. The material does not say which chatbots investors use, how often they use them, or exactly how PR teams influence what AI tools find. Those answers would help founders decide how much effort to put into this.