Most people assume AI pulls data straight from Google.  
  
It doesn’t. It leans heavily on user generated content.  
  
A new Semrush study analysed 150,000 citations from LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity.  
Here’s where AI gets most of its facts:  
  
• [reddit.com](http://reddit.com/) 40.1%  
• [wikipedia.org](http://wikipedia.org/) 26.3%  
• [youtube.com](http://youtube.com/) 23.5%  
• [google.com](http://google.com/) 23.3%  
• [yelp.com](http://yelp.com/) 21.0%  
• [facebook.com](http://facebook.com/) 20.0%  
• [amazon.com](http://amazon.com/) 18.7%  
• [tripadvisor.com](http://tripadvisor.com/) 12.5%  
  
Mapbox and OpenStreetMap both ranked above Instagram and LinkedIn, showing how often AI models cite open structured data sources.  
And Reddit dominates everything, probably because of its huge archive of discussions and how easily they can be indexed and referenced.  
  
Here’s the thing.  
AI isn’t built on expert content. It’s built on what’s visible, accessible, and widely discussed.  
  
That’s why misinformation spreads fast and why community driven data shapes much of what AI says.  
  
If you want your brand to show up in AI results, think beyond SEO.  
Be visible in public discussions, open data, and spaces where models learn.  
  
Follow for more data like this on how AI is reshaping business and visibility.

Where AI Gets Its Facts