A new report breaks down why different AI platforms cite different sources, and what it means for your brand’s visibility.

A new report from Profound analysed thousands of brand recommendations across six AI platforms to understand what drives visibility in AI answers, and social media plays a bigger role than you might think, particularly on Google.

Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, along with ChatGPT, reference social media and user-generated content heavily. Unsurprisingly, YouTube shows up a lot in Google’s results (Google owns YouTube), while ChatGPT leans heavily on Reddit. LinkedIn features more prominently in Copilot, reflecting Microsoft’s ownership. Instagram appears less often, and TikTok less still. Reviews also play a consistent role across the board.

The takeaway: if you want visibility in AI search, YouTube and Reddit are two platforms worth paying close attention to.

Watch the short video below, taken from our August 2026 social media marketing update, to see the full report breakdown.

Getting this right takes more than guesswork, and it’s becoming just as important as traditional SEO.