Where does AI get its information about companies?
Published Updated 9 min read
OpenAI model via Codex CLI with web search, not the ChatGPT app, 01-02.11.2026, 13 software questions.
Where does ChatGPT get its information? From two places: what the model learned in training, and the pages it reads when search is on. For questions about a company, the second one usually decides.
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Training
Text read before release. Fixed, can be old, you cannot edit it.
Search
Pages read for this answer. Fresh, linked, and your own pages count.
The short answer
ChatGPT answers from what it learned in training and from pages it reads with search on. Training is fixed and can be old. For a question about a company, the pages it reads usually decide the answer.
OpenAI model via Codex CLI with web search, not the ChatGPT app, 01-02.11.2026, 115 runs.
Key points
Two sources. Training is fixed. Search reads pages now. Only search can pick up a page you change today.
Seen is not cited. In our runs, AI saw Reddit in 80 of 115 runs and never cited it.
It changed in August 2026. Public analyses saw ChatGPT read more pages and cite Reddit far less.
What does AI learn in training?
Training is the text a model read before it was released. It is fixed at a cutoff date, so it can be old or wrong about your company.
- OpenAI collects training text with a bot called GPTBot. Blocking it tells OpenAI not to use your pages for training.
- What a model learned once stays in that model. You cannot log in and edit it.
- Some answers skip search and come only from training. In our runs that was rare, and 9 of those runs came from one pick-one question.
See how often the model searched the web, question by question. How fast each source picks up a change is in how often AI updates its information.
What does AI read when search is on?
With search on, ChatGPT turns the question into one or more web searches. It reads some results and links some of them in the answer.
It rewrites
Your question becomes shorter search queries.
It searches
Through search providers and OpenAI's own crawler, OAI-SearchBot.
It reads
Some pages from the results, often the makers' own pages.
It cites
A few of those pages, as links next to the answer.
- One question turning into many searches is called query fan-out.
- The model often searches inside one website, with a "site:" search. In our runs, many of those looked for prices.
- Pricing pages got the most citations of any page type. The full table is in which pages AI cited.
Which sources did AI see but not cite in our runs?
Reddit showed up in the model's search results 422 times and got 0 citations. Review and list sites showed up 471 times and got 11.
| Source | Times in search results | Runs where it showed up | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 422 | 80 of 115 | 0 | |
| Review and list sites | 471 | 91 of 115 | 11 |
| YouTube | 104 | 55 of 115 | 0 |
| Wikipedia | 34 | 23 of 115 | 0 |
| All other pages, such as pricing, help and product pages | 3,104 | 105 of 115 | 355 |
| Total | 4,135 | 366 |
13 software buying questions, 115 runs, each in a fresh chat. 'In search results' = a result the model's web search returned; a page can show up more than once. 'Cited' = a link in the answer. Sorted by web address. OpenAI model (gpt-5.6-luna) via Codex CLI with web search, not the ChatGPT app, 01-02.11.2026.
- The model saw forums and reviews, then linked other pages. For software questions it mostly cited the makers' own pricing and help pages.
- Seen does not mean read in full. We only know the page came back in a search.
Does AI search use Google or Bing?
OpenAI says ChatGPT search may send searches to outside search providers, next to its own crawler. Google AI Overviews use Google's own index.
- For AI Overviews, Google says a page must be indexed and able to show a snippet.
- Perplexity uses its own bot, PerplexityBot, to show and link sites.
- So be findable in both big indexes. Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are free.
To check if bots can read your pages at all, use the 4 checks for AI crawlers.
What changed in AI sources in August 2026?
Two public analyses saw ChatGPT change how it searches in August 2026. It read more pages per answer, searched inside brand sites more often and cited Reddit far less.
| What changed | Before | After | Who measured, when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pages read per answer (paired prompts) | 11.58 | 22.54 | Study A, published 19.08.2026, shift dated 8 August |
| Share of searches that used "site:" | 0.2 % | 18 % | Study A |
| Share of searches that used "site:" | 0.37 % | 16.8 % | Study B, published 19.08.2026, on 8 August |
| Reddit's share of answers | 12.6 % | 1.7 % | Study A, around 14 August, their 'best estimate' |
| Reddit's share of ChatGPT search citations | 3.8 % | under 1 % | Study B, 14 August |
- Study A is an AI search tracking company with more than 5,000 tracked brands. Study B is a consultant who read a tracking company's data.
- Our own runs in November came after the change. They fit it: 0 Reddit citations, and many site: searches.
What does this mean for your company?
Your own pages are the source you control. Make them easy for search to find and easy for AI to quote.
One clear page per question
A page that answers the exact question in its first lines.
Facts as text
Name, prices and service area in plain HTML, the same everywhere.
Open to search bots
OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot and Googlebot allowed.
The 6 steps are in how to get AI to recommend your company.
How does Nenn show where AI got its answer?
Nenn lists the websites AI cited for your customers' questions, and shows if one of them is yours.
Sources AI cites
Websites and pages behind each answer, with their share of citations.
Your own cited pages
Which of your pages AI used, and your rank among cited sites.
Every week, 3 engines
ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, asked again each week.
Questions about where AI gets its facts
Where does ChatGPT get its information about me or my company?
Mostly from pages it finds with search: your own site, profiles, directories and news. If search finds little, it may answer from training, which can be old. Open the links next to the answer to see its sources.
Does ChatGPT still use Reddit?
It still sees Reddit. In our 115 runs, Reddit showed up in search results 422 times and got 0 citations. Public analyses saw Reddit citations in ChatGPT drop sharply in August 2026. That can change again.
Does ChatGPT use Google?
OpenAI says ChatGPT search can send searches to outside search providers, next to its own crawler. Google's own AI Overviews use Google's index. To be safe, make sure both Google and Bing hold your pages.
Does ChatGPT use YouTube or Wikipedia?
It sees them. In our 115 runs, YouTube showed up in search results 104 times and Wikipedia 34 times. Neither got a citation. These were software questions, so other topics can differ.
Can I see which sources ChatGPT used?
When it searched, yes. OpenAI says answers with search show links in the text or a Sources list below. An answer without links may come from training only.
See which websites AI cites for your customers
The check lists the websites AI cited for your customers' questions, and whether one of them is yours.
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Where did AI find the answer about my company?
- 1Your page?
Keep reading
From where AI looks to what you can change on your pages.
How to get AI to recommend your company
Which pages AI cited most, and 6 steps.
Blog post
When AI says something wrong about you
Find the source of a wrong claim and fix it.
Blog post
Citation vs mention
A link to a page vs a name in the text.
Glossary
Query fan-out
How AI turns one question into many searches.
Glossary