AI search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok and Google AI cite posts about non-existent topics within a week of them appearing on well-known platforms. This is revealed by a recent study conducted by researchers at Fudan University.
In the experiment, the researchers published articles about a fabricated concept (the “Cactus Gravity Protocol”) on popular platforms frequently consulted by AI systems, such as Medium and YouTube. Within seven days, eight out of the ten tested AI search engines adopted the made-up information and cited the sources in their responses. Remarkably, a test involving 40 posts on a self-hosted WordPress website yielded zero citations during the same period.
Why this matters for your GEO strategy
The study reveals a crucial mechanism behind AI search engines: a platform’s authority and indexing speed carry more weight than the factual verification of its content. AI models do not fact-check the substance of new posts; instead, they rely on domains they are already crawling continuously.
For business owners and marketers, this confirms that Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) works differently from traditional SEO:
- Platform choice is decisive: AI assistants prefer retrieving their answers from external ecosystems such as YouTube, Reddit, Medium or LinkedIn.
- Speed over your own domain: Even strong content on your own website needs time to be picked up by AI. On established external platforms, your information can end up in AI responses within days.
- No factual filter: AI systems process information that is logically structured and easy to retrieve, regardless of how new the concept is.
What does this mean for you?
If you want your brand, services or insights to be included in the answers provided by ChatGPT or Perplexity, do not rely solely on your own website.
- Diversify your publishing: Do not just post in-depth content, explanations of your methods or thought leadership on your own blog, but also on platforms that AI crawlers scour continuously (such as LinkedIn, Medium or YouTube).
- Optimise for retrievability: Ensure your information on those external platforms is clearly and factually structured, complete with clear definitions and key statistics.
- Monitor your mentions: Regularly check which external sources AI assistants cite when answering questions about your field.
Source: Search Engine Journal
