ChatGPT boosts brand mentions as Google AI Mode narrows focus: Report

ChatGPT started mentioning more brands and websites over the past three months, while Google’s AI Mode narrowed its focus, according to new data from Semrush’s AI Visibility Index.

• Reddit, in particular, stood out: it dropped sharply as a source in ChatGPT but became one of the most frequently used sources in Google’s AI Mode.

The big picture. ChatGPT and Google’s AI Mode are changing in different ways. ChatGPT is experimenting more while Google’s AI Mode seems more stable:

• ChatGPT mentioned about 12% more brands in September, then dropped back in October, suggesting it’s experimenting with answers.
• Google’s mentions fell 4% over the same period, suggesting it’s focusing on a smaller set of brands.

More sources. The number of sources ChatGPT is citing is growing rapidly, while Google’s citations remain steady.

• ChatGPT: The number of sources it pulls from jumped 80% in October – a big shift toward using more and different sites.
• Google AI Mode: Sources went up just 13%.

Brand movement. Top brands aren’t changing much in AI search.

• 25 new names entered the top 100, but only two broke into the top 50.
• 61 brands appeared in both ChatGPT and Google’s top lists.

The leaders are staying put, but there’s movement further down.

Reddit’s reversal. Reddit’s role flipped between the two models.

• ChatGPT: Mentions dropped 82%. Reddit is still the fourth most common source.
• Google AI Mode: Reddit jumped 75%. It was used as a source in one in five AI answers – second only to Amazon.

Brand diversity by vertical. When it comes to industries, ChatGPT and Google took different paths:

• In ChatGPT, Consumer Electronics (up 20%) and Tech & Software (up 12%) saw more brand variety. Finance fell 15%.
• In Google AI Mode, most categories dropped – except Fashion & Apparel.

Why we care. Approximately two-thirds of the brands that appear in ChatGPT also show up in Google’s AI Mode results. That overlap shows there’s some consistency at the top. However, each model still cites content differently. For brands, that means you can’t treat AI search as “one thing” and expect the same results. Each model needs its own approach.

The AI Visibility Index. Who Rules AI Search? What 3 Months of AI Visibility Data Tells Us