WASHINGTON – October 29, 2026 -- Seven Letter, a bipartisan strategic communications firm, launched Engine, an "Answer Intelligence" service that audits how seven AI platforms describe a brand, executive or issue and then builds a plan to change that portrayal.
Engine audits ChatGPT, Claude and five other AI platforms
Each Engine report draws on custom prompts run through ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, DeepSeek, Perplexity, Copilot and Claude. It quantifies brand visibility, mentions, sentiment, top sources cited, top journalists cited and frequent prompts. A separate score measures narrative favorability, mention and citation rates, frequency and intensity, and prominence and placement.
The audit also benchmarks clients against competitors and flags AI-generated answers that contain negative themes or possible inaccuracies.
Seven Letter's senior team builds a correction plan from the audit
Based on the benchmark, the firm develops a custom plan that can include earned media, content and public affairs strategies. These are aimed at driving visibility, correcting inaccuracies, addressing negative themes and countering misinformation. Clients can track progress through ongoing monitoring and periodic re-audits.
Seven Letter CEO and founding partner Erik Smith said Engine gives clients "greater control over sentiment, issues and reputation."
Pew data shows half of Americans now use AI services
The firm cites a June Pew Research survey showing half of Americans use AI services, a 16-point rise in two years. An April 2026 Ipsos poll found most AI users look up information or seek recommendations.
Corporate adoption trails consumer behavior. A June 2026 survey by Semrush, now owned by Adobe, found fewer than one in four marketers integrate AI search into their strategy.
Seven Letter survey finds 58% of opinion elites trust AI on politicians
An August 2026 survey by Seven Letter Insight, the firm's in-house data science team, found 58% of opinion-elite audiences trust AI searches "completely" or "a lot" for information about politicians and political candidates. The share among 18- to 34-year-olds is 56%.
The firm argues that organizations in regulated industries, public policy debates and competitive markets face the highest risk. AI-generated portrayals increasingly shape how regulators, policymakers, journalists and customers understand an issue, and models can repeat outdated information or amplify negative framing from a small number of sources.
Engine takes its name from the firm's Blue Engine origins 20 years ago
Seven Letter was founded 20 years ago as Blue Engine Message & Media and operates offices in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York and Los Angeles. Engine joins the firm's growing suite of AI-focused services.