Data & Statistics
Machine Relations Research
Named-source data on AI search adoption, citation rates, and industry disruption — each stat attributed to its original study.
Published reports
Research studies, index analysis, research synthesis, reference material, and practitioner analysis from Machine Relations Research — each report classified by content type under the editorial standards.
- Reference
Citation Architecture Needs External Corroboration, Not More Owned Content
Why AI source selection needs independent proof around a claim, not only a well-structured owned page.
- Reference
What Actually Predicts AI Search Citations: Independent Studies Compared
Multiple independent studies have now measured what predicts AI search citations. They disagree on domain authority, agree on content alignment, and reveal that citation is a source-selection decision — not a ranking signal.
- Index Analysis
How AI Answer Engines Cite Different Source Types: Market Databases, Analyst Research, and Wire Services Compared
Machine Relations Index v2 data across 17,533 domains reveals that AI answer engines systematically favor certain source types. Market databases have seven domains above a 1% citation rate; analyst research only two. Wire distribution services have zero.
- Index Analysis
Why Deloitte Is the Second Most-Cited Analyst Source Across AI Answer Engines
Machine Relations Index data shows Deloitte.com ranks second among all analyst and consulting research sources cited by AI answer engines, with a 1.63% citation rate across all six measured engines and particular strength in fintech and HR queries.
- Reference
AI Search Visibility Measurement: How Google, MRI, and Third-Party Tools Track Brand Citations Differently
Google Search Console AI reports, citation authority indices, and third-party tracking platforms each measure different aspects of AI visibility. Here is what each layer tracks, where it falls short, and how to use all three together.
- Research Synthesis
Enterprise AI Agents Are Getting Web Search — What It Means for Brand Visibility
Amazon Bedrock, Google Gemini Agent Platform, and Microsoft Azure AI Foundry now ship web search as a native grounding tool for enterprise AI agents. What that means for brand visibility beyond consumer AI chatbots.
- Index Analysis
Mordor Intelligence Answer-Engine Citation Authority: MRI v2 Data Shows 1.3% Citation Rate Across All Six AI Engines
Machine Relations Index v2 data shows mordorintelligence.com cited in 1.3% of observed AI answer-engine runs — ranking #34 among 17,342 measured domains and #5 among evidence-qualified market research databases. A market sizing publisher that outranks MarketsandMarkets and trails only G2, Crunchbase, Grand View Research, and Fortune Business Insights in its source category.
- Research Synthesis
How AI Search Engines Pick Which Brands to Cite: Six-Engine Citation Selection Data
Data from 17,342 domains across six AI engines shows which source types earn citations and what separates cited brands from mentioned ones.
- Reference
How AI Search Engines Choose Which Sources to Cite: A Cross-Engine Comparison
Measured citation rates across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, and Google AI Overviews reveal that each engine selects sources differently. Cross-engine analysis from the Machine Relations Index.
- Practitioner Analysis
AI Search Citation Volatility: What Five Independent Studies Reveal About Weekly Stability
Five independent studies covering 4 million+ citation events show AI engines replace 44–88% of their sources daily, but domain-level stability tells a different story. Here is what the data actually says about citation half-life, engine differences, and what keeps a source cited.
- Index Analysis
PR Newswire Answer-Engine Citation Authority: MRI v2 Data Shows 1.39% Citation Rate Across All Six AI Engines
Machine Relations Index v2 data shows prnewswire.com cited in 1.39% of observed AI answer-engine runs, ranking #27 among 18,919 measured domains and #8 among classified editorial publications.
- Index Analysis
Forbes Answer-Engine Citation Authority: MRI v2 Data Shows 4.22% Citation Rate Across 12,261 AI Runs
Machine Relations Index v2 data shows Forbes.com cited in 4.22% of observed AI answer-engine runs, ranking #5 among 19,118 measured domains and #2 among editorial publications.
AI Search Adoption
How quickly answer engines are replacing traditional search as the first step in commercial discovery.
810M
ChatGPT monthly active users (2026)
OpenAI investor presentations
750M
Google Gemini monthly active users
Alphabet earnings calls
9.7×
AI search traffic year-over-year growth
Similarweb, Cloudflare Radar
−50%
Gartner-predicted traditional search decline by 2028
Gartner Predicts 2024
Fresh Evidence
Citation & Earned Media
What independent studies show about where AI systems source their citations.
82–89%
of AI citations come from earned media, not brand-owned content
Muck Rack Generative Pulse (Dec 2025); Fullintel + UConn IPRRC (Feb 2026)
200×
faster AI visibility for brands publishing 12+ citation-optimized pieces per month
AuthorityTech client data, 2024–2025
34%
of AI citations in a given category go to a single publisher
AuthorityTech citation analysis, 2025
Industry Disruption
Where legacy PR firms are losing revenue and where the money is moving as AI reshapes discovery.
−8.1%
Edelman US revenue decline (2025) — third consecutive year
PRWeek
4–5%
Publicis growth driven by AI/data capabilities
Publicis investor presentations
76%
of PR professionals now using AI tools daily
PRCA AI Adoption Survey 2025
83%
of Google queries are now zero-click
SparkToro Zero-Click Study
Fresh Evidence
Key insight
Every independent study on the topic lands on the same number: 82–89% of what AI systems cite is earned media. Not press releases. Not brand blogs. Earned coverage in publications the model already trusts.
ChatGPT now handles over 2 billion queries daily (OpenAI, 2025). Gartner projects traditional search will decline 25% by 2026. The brands that secure citation positions in this window will be difficult to displace — because AI citation compounds the way domain authority once did.