Study Finds Human Written Pages Receive 5.7 Times More AI Citations

In a press release, Brandi AI says its analysis of about 900,000 answers from ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot found that human written pages received more citations than AI written pages. The study covered 4,210 cited webpages across 1,830 prompts during the second quarter of 2026.

The 25 most cited pages classified as human written averaged 682 citations each, compared with 119 for the 25 most cited AI written pages, a 5.7 fold difference. The human written group received 17,050 citations and accounted for 23% of all citations, while the AI written group received 2,975 citations and accounted for 4%.

Highly cited human written pages commonly included original research, proprietary data, firsthand experience, subject matter expertise and expert analysis. The study identified citation patterns but did not establish causation, and its labels were based on signals in the finished text rather than verified information about how each page was produced. Brandi AI sells an enterprise platform for brand intelligence, AI visibility and generative engine optimization, so it has a commercial interest in how AI assistants choose what to cite.