Gudea Utilizes AI to Proactively Shield Organizations from Potential Social Media Crises
Every day, discussions unfold online, with even minor posts—ranging from AI-generated falsehoods to hate speech—potentially escalating into significant public issues.
Gudea, a firm that monitors the spread of stories and rumors online, describes itself as an “internet storm tracker.” It leverages AI technology to assist organizations in identifying potential online problems before they escalate into crises.
Differentiating itself from traditional social listening tools that focus on metrics like mentions and impressions, Gudea aims to reveal who is influencing discussions, how information circulates, its velocity, and its potential direction. Its AI goes beyond simple counts, analyzing interactions, relationships, and the various channels that facilitate information movement across over 500 platforms, including X, Reddit, and TikTok.
Rather than just informing companies about rising mentions, Gudea seeks to provide context behind these increases, allowing decision-makers to evaluate their response strategies.
Recently, Gudea showcased its mission during a pitch at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, arguing that companies must adopt a more proactive stance in safeguarding their reputations.
“Many large industries fail to realize that they can take proactive measures to protect their brand and reputation,” stated CEO Keith Presley. “Many communications and marketing officers are stuck with outdated tools that were only meant to count hashtags and impressions.”
Founded in 2023 by Presley, Jonathan Sperber, and James Thomin, Gudea draws on Presley’s extensive experience in political campaigns and defense, including his work with Andrew Yang’s presidential campaign. Sperber, the firm’s chief strategy officer, specializes in disinformation research, while Thomin, Gudea’s CTO, possesses a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and two decades of experience in AI and machine learning.
Presley noted that Gudea’s journey to becoming a startup is quite unconventional.
“We’re not your typical startup; I never aimed to create a company,” he mentioned.
The foundation was laid with the George Washington Initiative, a nonprofit formed after the 2020 election, which repurposed strategies used by intelligence communities overseas to disrupt networks associated with groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda, applying them to domestic narratives.
The objective was to pinpoint online spaces where information campaigns emerge and to interrupt the channels enabling their dissemination to larger audiences.
However, the existing tools were inadequate for tracking how information flowed through social dynamics and platforms, highlighting the opportunity for Gudea.
Three years after its inception, Gudea serves nearly 40 clients, including a Fortune 50 telecommunications firm, a major retailer, one of the largest AI laboratories, a prominent band, as well as public relations and government agencies.
With the ascent of generative AI, Presley observes a growing demand for Gudea’s technology as the company looks to widen its clientele.
Advancements in AI tools have significantly reduced the resources needed to produce content and orchestrate online campaigns, allowing individuals equipped with a laptop and appropriate software to perform tasks that previously required large organizations.
“Initially, around one out of every four cases we examined exhibited inauthentic activity,” said Presley. “Now, that number has escalated to about nine out of ten.”
Looking to the future, Gudea plans to enhance its ability to track the origins and spread of narratives. A key upcoming initiative involves geolocation technology, targeted for next year, which will enable users to ascertain the geographical detail of conversations, potentially narrowing down to city-block accuracy, as explained by Presley.
The firm also aims to provide clients with improved access to its analytical tools. For instance, a corporation could eventually test an advertising strategy using Gudea’s AI in advance of its launch to gauge potential negative impacts.
Last week, Gudea revealed it secured $7 million in seed funding in a round co-led by Mudita Venture Partners and Silicon Road Ventures, bringing the startup’s total funding to nearly $15 million.
