In May 2026, PR agency 5W published an analysis of nine studies into the sources used by AI systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. The report shows that AI models select answers based on structured information and repetition. Brand status plays no role in this.
Which sources AI models actually use
AI systems search for information differently from traditional search engines.
- Wikipedia (13.15 per cent) and Reddit (11.97 per cent) together account for more than a quarter of ChatGPT source citations in the US.
- Mentions on YouTube show a 0.737 correlation with AI visibility. Written video transcripts carry heavy weight here.
- Companies with active profiles on review platforms such as Trustpilot, Yelp or G2 are, on average, 3 times more likely to be cited.
- Sources fluctuate significantly. Reddit’s share on ChatGPT dropped from around 60 per cent to 10 per cent within two weeks in September 2025.
Major newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times are absent from ChatGPT’s top 20. 5W suggests paywalls and lengthy stories as a possible reason, as they make it harder for AI to extract facts. PR agency 5W states that it did not conduct primary research itself, but aggregated nine external studies published between January 2025 and April 2026.
If you run an estate agency in The Hague and want AI search engines to recommend your business, having just a website of your own will not be enough.
What you can do with this as a business owner
AI search engines gather answers from across the internet.
- Fully complete your profiles on review platforms and ask for detailed customer reviews.
- Have executives share substantive contributions on LinkedIn.
- Structure the information on your website using clear subheadings and factual answers.
Measure your results monthly, as AI models constantly adapt their sources.
Source: 5WPR
