A quarter of what ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, and Perplexity cite when answering a best-product question is a page disclosing a commercial interest, usually an affiliate review, not a paid placement, according to a scan of 106,758 English citations by DataPulse Research and GetCited. For example, Google’s AI Overview named Accredited Debt Relief best for customer satisfaction and sourced it to a Los Angeles Times page marked a paid program and credited to that company. In another, it called Absolute Collagen the UK’s best overall supplement, citing a Good Food review with its commission disclosure above the headline. The share varies by category, running 41% on consumer electronics questions, 26% on fashion and beauty, 19% on software and B2B tools, and 13% on education. Ten publishers supply 25% of those disclosed citations, led by TechRadar, Forbes Advisor, PCMag, CNET, and Tom’s Guide.
