Beneath the Surface is a podcast about generative engine optimisation, AI search and reputation in the age of the algorithm.
We’ve grown used to algorithms deciding what we see. Since Google and the days of the eight blue links, information has been filtered, ranked and prioritised for us. But there was still a sense of where it came from. You could scroll. You could check the sources. You could look beneath the surface. But that’s changed.
This series explores what’s happening underneath AI-generated answers: what is shaping them, who is shaping them, and why. From misinformation and disinformation to corporate influence, reputation risk and the hidden sources behind tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, each episode looks at how generative search is changing visibility, trust and truth online.
For marketers, communicators and decision-makers, Beneath the Surface helps make sense of the new information landscape – and how to shape reputation in the age of the algorithm.
Paul Stollery is co-founder of Hard Numbers, an award-winning tech PR agency known for its focus on data, reputation, and generative engine optimisation (GEO).
He leads the agency’s work into how AI-driven search is reshaping visibility, influence, and truth online.
Starting his career in SEO before moving into PR, Paul talks about how stories travel through both algorithms and media. He has delivered guest lectures at institutions including the London College of Communication, Boston University, and City, University of London, covering creativity, communications strategy, AI in PR, and professional development.
He is a nerd. He loves the news. He uses this podcast to explore how these two worlds are colliding. How information spreads, who shapes it, and what that means for reputation in the age of the algorithm.
We ran 41 questions about Greenland's sovereignty through ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews — in the UK and the US. Then we looked at what sources were behind the answers. We found Reddit threads, Grok conversations and Russian state media. Here's what we found.
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