Gudea uses AI to track online narratives and prevent PR crises

Unlike traditional social listening platforms that tally hashtags or impressions, Gudea monitors how information moves across more than 500 mainstream and fringe websites. By analyzing relationships and network dynamics, the company helps decision-makers identify who is driving a narrative and where it is headed. CEO Keith Presley, who founded the firm in 2023 alongside Jonathan Sperber and James Thomin, argues that existing corporate tools are insufficient for modern digital threats. The team traces its origins to the George Washington Initiative, a nonprofit that adapted counter-terrorism strategies to identify and disrupt domestic information campaigns. Today, Gudea serves nearly 40 clients, ranging from Fortune 50 retailers and major AI labs to government agencies. As generative AI makes it easier to coordinate inauthentic online behavior, the company reports that nine out of ten monitored incidents now feature manipulated activity. With $15 million in total funding, Gudea plans to launch geolocation technology next year capable of pinpointing the origin of narratives down to the city-block level.