PeakMetrics Introduces the Next Evolution of Smart Categories, Unlocking a New Dimension of Narrative Intelligence

LOS ANGELES, May 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PeakMetrics, the leader in AI-driven narrative intelligence, today introduced the next evolution of Smart Categories, a breakthrough in how organizations understand and act on online conversations.

Smart Categories give teams a clearer, more structured view of the online landscape by using AI to organize data into the themes, tones, and signals that actually matter. Instead of sifting through noise, teams can instantly see what is happening, why it is happening, and who is driving the conversation.

“The internet is no longer a reflection of reality. It’s shaped by AI, coordinated networks, and synthetic content,” said Nick Loui, co-founder and CEO of PeakMetrics. “Smart Categories were built to help teams cut through that noise and understand what’s actually driving narratives online. This next evolution gives organizations the clarity and confidence to act before those narratives escalate.”

Originally launched in 2025, Smart Categories have already been adopted by leading organizations, agencies, and public affairs firms to analyze complex online narratives at scale. This latest evolution builds on proven usage, expanding the depth, flexibility, and intelligence teams rely on to make decisions in real time.

Since launch, Smart Categories have redefined how teams analyze online conversations, replacing rigid Boolean searches with AI that understands context, tone, and meaning.

Teams rely on Smart Categories to answer questions that traditional tools cannot. Each category is tailored to a brand’s specific risks, industry nuances, and objectives, allowing teams to analyze conversations through the lens that matters most. Smart Categories can be adjusted as situations evolve, shifting focus from surface-level volume to underlying drivers, key narratives, and the accounts or networks shaping the conversation.

For example, organizations can detect violent rhetoric directed at executives and automatically classify it as violent, critical, dismissive, or supportive. Airlines can break down conversations around delays, lost baggage, and customer experience. Brands can track favorability over time to understand whether efforts are improving perception.

Smart Categories also enable teams to separate artificial amplification from real customer feedback by identifying the themes and sentiment being pushed by bot-like activity. The result is a clearer picture of what is authentic and what is being manufactured.

The experience is designed to be intuitive, flexible and fast. Teams can preview how a Smart Category will classify content before enabling it, adjust prompts in real time, and start with point-and-click templates for workflows like relevance, risk, favorability, and violent rhetoric. This allows users to build powerful, tailored intelligence models in minutes with confidence in the output.

PeakMetrics has also expanded the data foundation behind Smart Categories. The platform now incorporates author reach, profile information, and location signals, and introduces the ability to classify images and video. This allows teams to quantify the impact of synthetic media, identify IP misuse, and understand how visual content spreads across platforms.

This level of structured intelligence is already enabling new forms of measurement that were previously out of reach.

In partnership with Rational 360, PeakMetrics has demonstrated how Smart Categories can quantify complex, previously intangible concepts like trust. Together, the teams analyzed how policymakers, political reporters, and Beltway influencers discuss trust key entities operating in the healthcare industry, moving beyond traditional sentiment to capture nuance across credibility, skepticism, and institutional confidence.

The analysis revealed that more than half of the conversations were skeptical of industry perspectives, while a significant portion remained in a middle ground, highlighting both risk and opportunity for organizations operating in highly scrutinized environments.

“In public affairs, credibility inside the beltway is essential to guiding strategy,” said Rational 360. “PeakMetrics’ Smart Categories helped us identify how trust is expressed across the D.C. policy landscape from academic circles to the Hill to the White House, enabling our teams to prioritize the right audiences, refine messaging, and engage policymakers more effectively.”

The next evolution of Smart Categories is available today within the PeakMetrics platform. To learn more, book a demo.

About PeakMetrics

PeakMetrics is an AI-driven narrative intelligence company that helps enterprises and governments see through the manipulated internet and protect against emerging adversarial threats. We uncover the online narratives shaping public perception, reputation, and business outcomes—revealing both risks and opportunities. Our platform provides critical context into how narratives spread, why they gain traction, who is amplifying them, and whether they are authentic or engineered, so teams can act early and with confidence.

Where traditional monitoring tells you what’s being said, PeakMetrics shows you what’s real, what’s engineered, and what to do about it.

Contact:

Jessica Pratt, jessica@peakmetrics.com

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