AI has updated its reading list (and what it means for you)

More and more of us are turning to AI to answer questions.

But where do the responses come from?

Well, a new report offers valuable new insight for comms and PR professionals that we felt we should share in our media training blog.

Muck Rack’s latest ‘What is AI reading?’ report reveals that 99 per cent of citations from AI now come from non-paid sources. Back in August, that figure stood at 95 per cent.

When the figures are broken down further, they make for fascinating reading.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) of links cited by AI come from journalistic sources. In some sectors, including media and entertainment, finance/insurance, food, sport and travel, the figure is 30 per cent or more.

Education and industrial/manufacturing are the only sectors where the number falls below 20 per cent.

Of these journalism citations, 57 per cent have been published in the past year.

What else is AI reading?

The other main source cited by AI is corporate blogs and content, which accounts for 24 per cent of citations. This is followed by what the report describes as aggregators/encyclopedic sources (things like Wikipedia), at 17 per cent.

At the other end of the scale, it is worth noting that social media accounts for only 2.9 per cent of citations and that paid and advertorial content is included in just 0.3 per cent of citations.

Interestingly, what is cited depends on the question asked.

Questions on industry trends get more than twice the journalism citations that ‘how to’ queries generate.

Muck Rack said: “When consumers ask what is happening in an industry, AI reaches for news coverage.”

What does this mean for you?

We are going to get into the question in more depth a little later in the blog once we have explored a couple of other key factors.

But for now, there are a couple of paragraphs in a Muck Rack article published alongside the report that answer this question.

It said: “The data is telling us that AI systems are not inventing answers. They are assembling them from the content ecosystem around them, and earned media is the foundation.

“If your brand isn’t showing up in the coverage AI is reading, it won’t show up in the answers AI is generating.”

That’s not all

The Muck Rack report comes shortly after Gartner predicted PR budgets will double by 2027 as AI replaces traditional searches.

The research and advisory company said: “As organisations adapt to new audience search behaviours, PR and earned media budgets must increase to ensure optimal AI search visibility.

“Reallocating paid budgets to PR and earned media is likely a logical option for most organisations.”

It is a bold prediction.

And it arguably sits awkwardly with the current budget and headcount pressures many comms and PR teams are experiencing now.

It may feel unduly optimistic and too much of a speedy turnaround.

But it does again point to the renewed strategic importance and value of earned media.

Does AI favour particular media outlets?

That’s a good question.

And when you consider that Claude never cites YouTube, you might think some media outlets dominate citations.

But it does not appear to be the case.

Muck Rack says AI models collectively cite more than 200,000 media outlets in their answers.

It said: “No single publication dominates - citations are distributed across a long tail of trade press, local news, and national outlets that varies by sector and model.”

It’s not just external comms

AI and changing consumer behaviour are not just impacting external comms.

Gartner also predicts that by 2028, 75 per cent of employees will rely on chatbots to obtain relevant internal communication.

It says: “CCOs (Chief Communication Officers) will rely less on traditional channels, such as newsletters, intranets, and even managers, who remain employees’ preferred channel for receiving information.

^“Instead, chatbot innovations and capabilities will rise to meet this demand and transform how both push and pull communications are managed, alleviating information overload.

“Chatbots will improve information accessibility and provide personalised, relevant communications.”

This is already happening.

Jonathan Pollinger, who delivers our social media training courses and is also an AI expert, recently helped a CEO create an internal AI agent.

“I recently helped the CEO of a financial services company create what we jokingly called a ‘clone of himself’,” he told me.

“In practice, it was an internal AI agent that answers employee questions using approved company information and the CEO’s guidance.

“The agent only worked because it was grounded in accurate, trusted and useful information and saved the CEO a ton of time.

“That is the real opportunity with AI. It can help organisations share expertise more consistently, answer questions more quickly and reduce pressure on senior people, but only if the underlying knowledge is clear, reliable and well managed.”

Key lessons for comms and PR professionals

AI is playing an increasingly influential role in what we do and how the people we want to reach search for information and find use.

But in a way, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Because what’s clear is that if you want to appear in AI searches and you want AI visibility, you need credible media coverage.

That means the value and relevance of high-authority and trusted media coverage that shows your authority and expertise are only increasing, even if falling circulations and the closures of some newspapers have led to questions about its role in the modern media landscape.

Maybe fewer of us are using traditional media.

But more of us are reading the results, even if in some cases people don’t realise.

And it is no longer just about coverage and exposure.

It is also about discoverability and visibility.

It is time not only to think about how you can influence the answers AI is producing, but also to make this part of your communications strategy.

That means you need to research what media outlets AI turns to for citations and the types of editorial content that are getting picked up.

For context, Much Rack reports that the New York Times and Reuters – media outlets many would want to cover their story – don’t appear in the top three domains AI is citing for any industry.

Spend time now exploring how you – and your competitors - are currently performing in AI answers.

Also, consider the subjects where you want to dominate the coverage of your sector.

Are you being left out of what AI is reading about these topics?

Or are you invisible and facing being left behind?

Don’t go chasing algorithms

Let’s leave the final words on this for Jonathan.

What does he think the Muck Rack report findings mean for comms and PR professionals?

“AI visibility should not be treated as a keyword contest,” he said.

“The organisations most likely to benefit are those producing clear, useful and trustworthy content that demonstrates real expertise.

“The lesson for businesses is not to chase algorithms.

“Content has to be genuinely useful. Answer real questions, share informed views, publish accurate material and build authority over time.

“With the increasing use of tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to obtain answers and information, earned media and clear thought leadership are more important, not less.

“A good piece of coverage or a useful article can now have a second life, because it may help shape the answers AI gives.”

Media First are media and communications training specialists with nearly 40 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.

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