How AI engines work.
How AI engines find sources, decide which to cite, and change underneath you: query fan-out, citation patterns, Google AI Mode, ChatGPT shopping and ads, crawler access, and the rules starting to govern AI answers.
How AI engines pick which sources to cite
ChatGPT, Google AI, Perplexity and Copilot each read a different web. How retrieval works, what drives citations, and what is myth (llms.txt, AI-specific schema).
The sites AI cites most: Reddit, YouTube, Wikipedia and LinkedIn
Studies of tens of millions of AI citations keep surfacing the same domains. Who the new gatekeepers are, how they differ by engine, and how to get mentioned there.
Do ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini cite the same sources?
Barely. Across 161,286 prompts, any two engines shared only ~17% of cited sources and just 3.8% were cited by all four. What the published data says about winning each engine separately.
Ranking #1 on Google no longer gets you cited in AI
A 2026 study of 863,000 SERPs found: only ~38% of AI Overview citations also rank in the top 10, down from ~76% in mid-2025. Why the overlap is collapsing.
Query fan-out: how AI turns one question into many searches
AI can split your question into sub-queries and search each one. Here's how fan-out works and how to win the sub-questions.
Google AI Mode in 2026: a billion users, search agents, and your brand
At I/O 2026, AI Mode passed a billion monthly users and gained 24/7 search agents. What changed, and how to keep your brand visible as the search box becomes an answer engine.
Google AI Mode can now finish the task without your website
On 16 July 2026 AI Mode added connected apps (Instacart, Canva, YouTube Music) that complete tasks inside Google. What the zero-landing-page shift means.
Google AI Overviews now generates images - and cites no one
AI Overviews now creates images from scratch with Nano Banana. With no source page to link to, what does the self-contained visual answer mean for brands?
ChatGPT ads are here: what they mean for getting cited
OpenAI began testing ads in ChatGPT in February 2026 and opened self-serve buying in May. Why labeled, paid placement makes earning an organic citation more valuable, not less.
Shopping in ChatGPT: what OpenAI's commerce push means for brands
OpenAI launched checkout inside ChatGPT, then pivoted to brand-owned apps. What the 2026 shift means for whether AI recommends and sells your products.
OpenAI killed its Atlas browser. What the shift to in-ChatGPT agents means
OpenAI folded Atlas into ChatGPT and a new ChatGPT Work agent. Why discovery is consolidating inside assistants, and what that means for being cited.
Cloudflare will block AI crawlers on ad pages by default: what it means for AEO
From 15 September 2026, Cloudflare blocks training and agent AI crawlers by default on ad pages. What the pay-per-crawl shift means for whether AI can still cite you.
EU AI Act transparency rules hit on 2 August: what Article 50 actually requires
Article 50 applies from 2 August 2026: disclose AI interaction, mark synthetic content, label deepfakes. What was not postponed, and the penalties.
The EU is forcing Google to share search data with rivals and AI chatbots
On 16 July 2026 the EU set binding terms (DMA.100209) for Google to share query, click and ranking data with rival engines and AI chatbots, from January 2027. Why it matters.
UK publishers can now opt out of Google AI Overviews without losing rankings
The CMA's binding order (3 Jun 2026) gives publishers opt-out control over AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini and Vertex AI - with no ranking penalty. What it changes.
Reddit reportedly wants Google to pay more when its content powers AI answers
Reddit is reportedly in talks with Google for dynamic pricing tied to AI-answer value, vs its flat ~$60M/year deal. What the AI content economy shift means.
Anthropic's $1.5B copyright settlement just got approved - what it means for content owners
A US judge approved the largest known US copyright settlement (20 Jul 2026). Why the training-vs-piracy line matters for anyone who publishes content.
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