How decentralized government communication environments create attribution instability in AI-generated responses As artificial intelligence systems increasingly mediate access to public information, local government agencies are adapting communication strategies to improve visibility within AI-generated environments. This shift has accelerated interest in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), which focuses on helping artificial intelligence systems identify, parse, and surface information more effectively. In many cases, GEO improves discoverability successfully. Government information becomes easier for artificial intelligence systems to process. Content appears more frequently inside generated responses. Visibility improves. However, local government communication environments introduce a separate structural problem. Local government publishing systems are decentralized by design.…