Stacker Study Finds AI Prioritizes Data-Heavy Sources
Stacker analyzed 3.9 million AI citations to find that platforms prioritize government agencies and specialized publications over general information sources.
Content distribution company Stacker analyzed more than 3.9 million citations from six AI platforms between May and August 2026. The study utilized the AI visibility platform Scrunch to evaluate outputs from ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Google Gemini, and Perplexity.
The analysis found that AI tools prioritize sources providing research and hard data over general information. Government agencies and specialized publications appeared most frequently across various topics. For health-related queries, platforms relied heavily on PubMed and the Mayo Clinic, while personal finance queries frequently cited Experian, NerdWallet, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
In the real estate and automotive sectors, AI platforms favored data-heavy sites such as Zillow and Kelley Blue Book. Stacker noted that while AI selects sources it deems trustworthy, users should verify sensitive health and financial information with professionals because of the potential for AI errors.
