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Reddit Comments & User Hot Takes Are Shaping AI Results

Brand narratives are shifting away from official sources as new data shows AI tools increasingly cite Reddit, YouTube, and review sites.

Riley

Riley

— 4 min read
Reddit Comments & User Hot Takes Are Shaping AI Results
Trend to Watch · Edition #14

Look, we've all heard the whole "AI will kill search" thing by now.

  • People are starting to ask questions instead of typing keywords
  • They're also clicking out to websites less

Behaviors aside, something interesting is happening with results.

New data shows which sites AI is citing most.

It reveals that information is now heavily influenced by user takes.

To understand why this matters, here's how AI works:

Quick 101: How AI Gets its Info

AI gets its information in two main ways:

1. Training Data: Think of this like studying for a test by reading every textbook, newspaper, and website that existed up to a certain date. AI "memorized" patterns from billions of web pages, books, and articles during its training phase. But just like studying from old textbooks, this knowledge has a cutoff date and recent information isn't included.
2. Real-time Search: This is like AI saying "I don't know the answer to that, let me Google it real quick." When you ask about something recent or specific, it can search the internet and pull in fresh information to fill gaps in what it learned during training.

A year ago, AI was like a super smart person who studied everything up to 2023 but lived in a cave since then without internet access. It knew a lot but was out of touch with current events and perspectives.

Now? It's like that same smart person who lived in a cave got internet access. It can look things up to give you current info.

This is great because it means fewer wrong answers.

It also means AI responses include the random stuff it finds when it searches (Reddit threads, forum posts, review sites).

And this is where things get interesting.

Which Sites is AI Citing Most?

According to Semrush, these are are the top domains cited in AI responses:

Source: Semrush

No surprise that Wikipedia and Google make the list.

But look at what else is dominating: Reddit, YouTube, Yelp, Facebook.

These aren't your traditional "authoritative sources."

They're platforms where people share opinions, experiences, and debates.

Last year, if you wanted to research a company or topic, you'd probably start with their website, news articles, or industry reports.

Today when AI researches that topic, it's likely to pull from a Reddit thread where people complained about their customer service or a YouTube video where an influencer shared their hot take.

Here's What This Looks Like

I asked ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode the same question: "How good is Target's customer service?"

Three of four referenced Reddit and Trustpilot as sources in their responses. ChatGPT even went so far as to include citations from Glassdoor and Indeed.

For comparison, I mimicked historic search behavior by Googling "Target customer service" and received more standard results (their hotline and website links).

The Big Shift: AI is giving us the internet's collective opinion, instead of what companies want us to know.

Today, brands have even less control over their narrative.

What This Means for You

You're now getting a different type of information when you use AI to search.

Instead of the "official story", you get a blend of official info mixed with user experiences, complaints, and opinions.

PROS: You get a more holistic view. If a product actually sucks, you'll probably find out. If a company has great customer service, customers will tell you.
CONS: A viral complaint thread can alter the narrative, even if it represents 0.1% of actual experiences. A bad day for a company on Reddit can influence what AI tells thousands of people for months.

What this Means for Brands

The ability to manage brand narrative changed with product reviews and social media.

It's changing again with ai.

Communications are coming less and less directly from brands.

How orgs manage the narrative has to change as a result.

Here's what teams can do:

1. Ask AI about your company. Test chatgpt, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity with and without search functions. Save the responses. Note which external sources they reference.
2. Audit your presence on top cited sources. Check your wikipedia page, recent Reddit mentions, top review site profiles. These probably shape what AI says about you more than your website does.
3. Develop a strategy for these platforms. Figure out if your brand has an appropriate approach for showing up on these platforms and managing conversation to the extent possible.
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