AI Search Platforms Show Significant Divergence in Brand Recommendations

New research from BrightEdge reveals that Google AI Overviews (AIO), AI Mode, and ChatGPT recommend different brands 61.9% of the time, highlighting distinct patterns in how artificial intelligence platforms process and present brand information. This growing divergence demonstrates the evolving landscape of AI-powered business intelligence and decision making.

The groundbreaking study, conducted using BrightEdge's AI Catalyst tool, analyzed tens of thousands of identical queries across the three major AI platforms, uncovering significant differences in how each system handles brand citations and recommendations.

Platform Analysis and Behavior Patterns

BrightEdge's analysis revealed striking contrasts in how each platform handles brand mentions. Google AI Overviews averaged 6.02 brand mentions per query, while ChatGPT maintained a more conservative approach with 2.37 mentions. This disparity suggests fundamentally different approaches to information presentation across platforms, impacting how businesses leverage AI chatbots for customer engagement.

Commercial queries containing terms like "buy," "where," or "deals" generated brand mentions 65% of the time across all platforms. E-commerce and finance verticals achieved particularly strong results, with brand mentions appearing in 40% or more of responses.

The research also highlighted that comparison queries using terms like "best" resulted in brand citations 43% of the time across all three AI platforms.

Strategic Marketing Implications

The study's findings present several important considerations for businesses seeking to optimize their digital presence. As organizations increasingly adopt AI-powered marketing funnels to drive conversions, understanding these platform differences becomes crucial:

• Google AI Overviews offers the most opportunities for brand visibility, with over six mention slots available per relevant query
• ChatGPT appears to favor established brands, relying heavily on its training data
• Google AI Mode demonstrates more selectivity in brand recommendations, suggesting a higher quality threshold

According to Roger Montti, a digital marketing expert cited in the research, the apparent "authority" signals in ChatGPT's responses likely stem from frequency, prominence, and contextual embedding strength within training data rather than traditional SEO signals.

Implementation Strategy

For optimal results across AI platforms, businesses should:

1. Create comprehensive content that works across all three AI environments while maintaining traditional SEO best practices
2. Develop strategies to build strong brand associations within specific product and service categories
3. Consider the "citation network effect" where earning mentions on one platform can create validation needed for visibility on others

The research suggests that businesses should adapt their digital marketing strategies to account for these different AI platforms while maintaining strong traditional SEO practices as the foundation of their online presence. For more detailed insights on AI search behavior, readers can reference the latest Search Engine Journal study on AI platform differences.