Study finds AI answers shift citation value from research to repeaters
A source-tracing study shows how answer engines reward the pages that repeat research, not necessarily those that produced it.
Trakkr tested five answer systems with 200 questions calling for a number, then followed 1,285 cited statistics up to five pages deep. An estimated 40% reached an original study supporting the claim, while another 8% reached research whose number or context had changed; company blogs, news stories and statistic roundups made up most first citations. That gap means answer engines can give copied pages the visibility and authority generated by original research, altering which information publishers capture value from sourcing work.