How AI Chooses What to Cite and What That Means for Your Content Strategy
Between August 2024 and June 2025, Profound analyzed more than 30 million AI citations to see what platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews were actually referencing. The results show a clear trend: AI tools give more attention to sources people turn to and trust in everyday conversations.
Understanding how and why AI cites certain content is essential for anyone focused on SEO content marketing or brand visibility. These systems aren’t acting like traditional search engines. They’re selecting the most reliable and community-driven answers.
Below, we’ll explain how citation behavior is changing, what it means for content teams, and how to appear more often where AI is looking for answers.
How AI Platforms Are Prioritizing Human-Based Information
Citation patterns across AI tools show a clear preference: they lean toward platforms that use actual conversations and shared experiences.
ChatGPT draws heavily from Wikipedia (47.9%) and Reddit (11.3%), focusing on sources with a large base of user consensus.
Google’s AI Overviews feature a mix of Reddit (21%), YouTube (18.8%), Quora, and LinkedIn. All are spaces where people talk through problems and post personal insights.
Perplexity relies on communities like Reddit (46.7%), Yelp, and Tripadvisor, showing a decisive pull toward user-generated content.
What stands out is how little these platforms rely on traditional rankings. Instead, they’re pointing to the places people already use to learn and explore. In other words, you don’t need to be at the top of a Google results page. You want to show up in the conversations AI tools are watching.
The SEO & AI Optimization Implications
The way we think about SEO is changing. Ranking in search results still matters, but it’s no longer the sole goal. If your content isn’t showing up in AI summaries or chatbot answers, you may be missing a big part of the picture.
AI tools are looking for content they can use. That includes pages with accurate details and helpful explanations. But they’re also picking up on things that feel more human, such as firsthand stories and advice from people with experience.
This means SEO strategies need to expand beyond title tags and backlinks. You want to ensure you’re relevant, easy to understand, and connected to what people are actually discussing.
To show up in AI responses, your content should be reliable and natural. That may mean posting on platforms like Reddit or Quora. You can also create resources AI can easily pull from, such as how-to guides and product walkthroughs.
The goal now: be useful in a way that’s worth citing.
Platform-Based Content Publishing Recommendations
If AI tools pull content from Reddit, Quora, LinkedIn, and YouTube, it makes sense to meet them there. These platforms are no longer used only for social sharing. They’re becoming key sources for AI-generated answers.
Here’s how to show up in the places that matter:
Reddit & Quora: Use these platforms to join conversations related to your field. Set up a brand rep or persona who posts thoughtful replies. Avoid heavy promotion. Instead, focus on sharing useful information or personal experiences. Over time, those responses can become go-to sources for AI tools.
LinkedIn: Publish posts from executives, founders, or subject matter experts. Share insights or opinions on industry trends. This kind of thought leadership frequently appears in professional discussions that AI summarizes.
The goal is to leave behind a trail of helpful, well-written content that AI tools will notice and cite.
Why Every Business Needs a Wikipedia Page
Wikipedia is one of the top sources AI tools depend on, especially ChatGPT. If your business has a well-written, accurate page, it’s more likely to get mentioned when AI answers a question about your industry or product.
However, you can’t just write a page and expect it to stick. Wikipedia has strict guidelines and won’t accept content that reads like an ad or doesn’t have third-party backing. You must show notability, such as coverage in trusted publications or inclusion in respected directories.
Try to work with someone who understands how Wikipedia works. Editors or consultants can guide the process, suggest changes that follow the rules, and keep the page current.
The result is a stable, public-facing summary that AI tools treat as reliable. Subsequently, this makes it easier for your business to be part of the larger conversation.
Repackaging Content for YouTube & Multimedia Platforms
YouTube is one of the most common sources used in Google’s AI Overviews and is also often pulled into Perplexity. If you’re not already turning your content into video, now’s an optimal time to start.
AI tools often show videos when people search for how-to questions or product explanations. YouTube clips, even short ones, can have an impact in this area.
Start with what you already have. Blog posts can become quick explainer videos. Product pages can turn into walkthroughs. Podcast episodes can be broken into shorter clips that answer specific questions. You don’t need high-end production; just clear visuals and content that readers or watchers can use.
Make your videos easy to scan and understand. Use simple titles and break longer videos into chapters when possible. These minor tweaks show AI tools what your video is about and when to use it.
Being visible on YouTube attracts viewers and makes you a part of the content AI chooses to share.
Shaping Your Content for an AI-First World
Search is changing, and so is the way content is discovered. AI tools don’t always pull from the top of Google. They look for useful and trustworthy sources.
For peak visibility, brands need to show up where people ask questions and share advice. That means publishing across multiple platforms and sharing insights that others may reference.
Today, creating content that AI tools recognize as worth sharing is crucial. The more your content shows up in places AI checks, such as Reddit and Wikipedia, the more likely it is to be part of the answer when someone asks a question.
Ready to explore how AI fits into your team’s work? Watch our recent webinar on how to integrate AI workflows into your Paid Search strategies and operations or schedule an AI Readiness Audit to get a baseline of how well your brand is positioned to capitalize on AI driven search.