Brands that build trust through reviews increase AI citations from 1% to 75%, earn competitive advantage over 'invisible' brands

• Only 1% of answers from AI tools will cite a brand that has no Trustpilot profile, rising to 75.3% for brands that actively collect and respond to feedback on the platform
• Review and trust sites are now the #2 citation source for AI systems, accounting for 14% of all citations - behind only general brand websites
• Trustpilot's new 'What AI says about you' report analyzed over 800,000 AI responses across four major platforms - ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode
• The report reveals how brands can use trust signals to be found and chosen in the age of AI

LONDON, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Businesses that actively gather and respond to customer reviews are cited in 75.3% of AI answers, compared to only 1% of answers for businesses with no active profile. The findings come from analysis commissioned by Trustpilot* of over 800,000 responses across four major AI platforms.

The analysis found that simply getting started with a reviews profile leads to a boost in AI citations, with even greater gains for businesses that prioritise building trust with consumers. A brand can increase its citation rate from 1% to 53.5% by establishing a Trustpilot presence, rising further to 75.3% when they collect over 80 reviews and respond regularly.

What's more, AI tools describe a missing Trustpilot profile as a warning sign for consumers. This suggests that without clear trust signals - visible, consistent and transparent experiences - these brands are almost invisible in AI answers. With 58% of consumers already using AI tools to find products and services**, there will be a growing gap between brands that nurture trust signals and stay visible as consumer behaviour shifts - and those that do not.

Alicia Skubick, Chief Customer Officer at Trustpilot, comments: "In an era of AI-powered buying journeys, trust is a quantifiable, high-value asset for businesses. Trustpilot turns authentic customer sentiment into the trust signals brands need to earn AI citations.

"Now, our latest tools provide precise insights into how brands' trust signals are driving citations in AI answers, empowering them to effectively design strategies to stay visible - and trusted - as AI continues to shift how consumers discover and choose brands."

The findings reflect a broader trend in how AI systems source and validate information. Review and trust websites are now the second most cited source type, accounting for 14% of all citations in AI responses. Among review platforms, Trustpilot emerged as the most frequently cited across the four platforms analysed: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode. Almost all (99.5%) Trustpilot citations happen because its pages show up in search results organically, because it embodies the "3Rs" for building trust in the age of AI: recency, relevance, and ranking.

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