The news: A Yext analysis of 6.8 million AI citations across ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity found that 86% of generative AI answers draw from brand-managed sources—mainly official websites, listings, and reviews.

Yext’s dataset revealed notable patterns:

• First-party websites led with 44% of citations.
• Business listings (42%) and reviews or social content (8%) followed.
• AI model preferences diverged: Gemini favored structured web pages (52.1%), ChatGPT leaned toward listings (48.7%), and Perplexity distributed citations more evenly across directories.

Interestingly, only 2% of citations came from community forums like Reddit once location and intent were factored in. Social platforms such as YouTube and Facebook account for the other two of the top five sites globally for AI-driven visits, according to Similarweb.

Why it matters: While AI summaries cite more brand-owned content, they also short-circuit the traditional referral loop. Pew Research found that just 8% of users click links from AI summaries versus 15% from standard search results, suggesting that AI keeps engagement within its own interface—providing quick answers that satisfy user intent before they ever reach a publisher site.

Still, not all sectors are equally affected. Government and Wikipedia sources are more prominent in AI summaries than in traditional search results, while YouTube links appear less often. This could help explain why social platforms now capture more downstream traffic, even as AI models cite more structured, brand-owned sources.

Marketers are adapting accordingly: A Fractl and Search Engine Land survey found that 35% of US marketers plan to boost their social and community presence to offset AI’s impact on organic traffic, while 26% aim to develop authoritative content specifically for AI citations.

What this means for marketers: AI search favors accuracy, structure, and verifiable data—but users still rely on familiar platforms. Marketers should treat AI visibility as data management, ensuring brand info is clean, structured, and location-aware. Maintaining a strong presence on YouTube and Facebook also remains key to capturing referral traffic increasingly shaped by AI.

Yext has a clear stake in this trend, given its focus on helping brands manage structured data across listings and sites. Still, the larger takeaway stands: Brands that combine first-party data precision with social reach will remain most visible wherever AI directs consumer attention next.