AI models favor familiar brands in search: Study

AI models searched for brands they already knew 3.2 times more often than unfamiliar brands, according to a new study. Models searched for familiar brands 55.7% of the time, compared with 17.4% for brands outside their top 10, geoSurge found.

Memory strongly decided which companies were considered. Researchers measured model memory and search behavior separately to see whether what a model knew influenced what it searched for. Across nearly 4,000 responses to 66 U.S. buyer questions, models searched for familiar brands 3.2 times more often than unfamiliar ones.

• Most fan-out searches didn’t name a brand. Only 31% included a company name.
• When models searched for a specific brand, 63% of those searches involved one of their five most familiar brands.

Results by industry. Models searched for familiar brands 41% to 82% of the time, compared with 9% to 23% for unfamiliar brands. Researchers noted that some industries were represented by as few as six prompts.

• The industries analyzed were travel, automotive, finance, business software, education, food and restaurants, luxury, fitness and wellness, and fashion.

Memory didn’t determine every search. In one example, Gemini searched for Lemon Squeezy while answering a question about online payment providers, even though the brand wasn’t in its measured memory. This shows live search can still find unfamiliar brands, especially in categories where models rely less on what they already know, researchers said.

Why we care. AI models are more likely to search for brands they already know. This means a brand may have an advantage before the model even starts searching. Strong content can still help newer brands get noticed, but familiar brands appear to have an unfair advantage.

About the data. Researchers tested 66 U.S. buyer prompts 60 times between May 29 and June 9, analyzing 3,960 responses, 13,281 fan-out searches, and 1,416 brand-level observations. The authors said the results show a relationship between memory and search behavior, but don’t prove that one caused the other.

The study. Report: AI Searches What It Remembers