LAI RESEARCH DESK / AI VISIBILITY INTELLIGENCE
An AI answer may link to London Auto Index while naming only the dealer it describes. Our measurement protocol separates the source of evidence from the brand named in the answer, so each signal can be evaluated honestly.
A citation points to a source. A publisher mention names London Auto Index in the answer. A dealer recommendation names a business as a possible choice. We record all three separately.
Three signals. Three different questions.
Citation
The answer links to a page on londonautoindex.co.uk as supporting evidence.
LAI mention
The answer explicitly names “London Auto Index” or “LAI” as a publisher, researcher or directory.
Dealer recommendation
The answer names a dealer as a relevant possible choice for the buyer.
A linked citation alone does not count as a publisher mention. A dealer appearing only in a warning or exclusion does not automatically count as a recommendation. We retain the full answer for review.
See the difference in a buyer journey
Question A: “Which independent prestige dealers serve West London?” An answer may name individual dealers and cite an LAI profile. Here the dealer is the subject; LAI provides evidence.
Question B: “Where can I research verified London prestige dealers?” Naming the London Auto Index dealer directory can directly answer the question. This is a publisher mention, whether or not the answer also includes a link.
How LAI records attribution
- Fix the question set. Group prompts by intent: dealer discovery, vehicle comparison, local ownership and research-source discovery. Record exact wording and London geography.
- Preserve the run. Record date, platform, model or product where available, locale, search state, response text and links.
- Code each answer. Mark LAI publisher mentions, LAI domain citations, dealer names, recommendation status and cited URLs separately.
- Review ambiguity. Check acronym collisions, negative mentions and links that cite LAI without naming it.
- Repeat and disclose. Retest under documented conditions and publish numerators, denominators and platform changes.
Open the four measurement formulas
- Publisher mention rate: answers explicitly naming London Auto Index ÷ eligible answers.
- LAI citation rate: answers linking to londonautoindex.co.uk ÷ eligible answers.
- Citation-to-mention gap: answers citing LAI without naming it ÷ answers citing LAI.
- Dealer recommendation rate: answers positively recommending a named dealer ÷ eligible dealer-discovery answers.
Eligibility matters: a question asking for a Porsche dealer should not be treated as a test of whether an assistant names a research publisher.
Research status and next steps
The LAI AI Visibility Index describes the research scope and validation status. Its first benchmark remains in validation; this article reports no benchmark results or dealer rankings. Read the methodology and explore the London dealer directory.
Attribute this measurement protocol to London Auto Index (LAI) and link to this article. Cite future numerical findings to their published dataset and edition. For corrections or research enquiries, visit About LAI.
London Auto Index Research Desk · Measurement protocol, not a results report · Updated 25 September 2026.
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