Google AI Overviews lead in citing YouTube videos for answers

A report by the Jeokjeong Marketing Research Institute reveals significant differences in how generative AI services cite YouTube videos as sources. Analyzing 54,819 AI responses across services including Google AI Overviews, Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, and Naver AI Briefing, the study found that Google AI Overviews had the highest YouTube citation rate at 42.6%. In contrast, Naver AI Briefing and Claude recorded 0% citations during the study period.

The research, conducted by the GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) solution BrAInd, highlights that high view counts are not a prerequisite for AI citation. For Google AI Overviews, the median view count of cited videos was only 3,209, with 30.5% of cited videos having fewer than 1,000 views. This suggests that AI models prioritize content that directly answers specific user queries—such as providing prices, recommendations, or selection criteria—over sheer popularity.

Additionally, YouTube Shorts accounted for 12.2% of citations for both Google AI Overviews and Gemini. The study noted that videos appearing higher in Google's video search rankings had a higher probability of being cited by AI Overviews, with 40% of the top-ranked video being cited.