Weekly index · week 1 edition
YouTube in AI search: week 1
How much each AI model cites YouTube in its answers, week by week, and where that presence is changing.
This is the week 1 edition, kept as published. See the current edition →
In short
In week 1, Google AI Mode was the model that cited YouTube most, in 50.9% of answers, followed by Google AI Overviews (50.3%). This is the first week of the series; comparisons start in week 2.
In week 1, by model
Share of answers citing YouTube. First week of the series, no comparison.
Timeline
Weekly presence since week 1. Each panel has its own scale; compare the shape of the curves, not heights across panels. Hollow circles mark weeks with a reduced base; blue markers are events, click to see them.
All weeks
Week 1 ranking
| Model | Presence | Week change | 4-week avg. | Since W1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Google AI Mode | 50.9% | — | 50.9% | → 0.0 pp | Start of series |
| 2. Google AI Overviews | 50.3% | — | 50.3% | → 0.0 pp | Start of series |
| 3. Perplexity | 23.3% | — | 23.3% | → 0.0 pp | Start of series |
| 4. Grok | 19.5% | — | 19.5% | → 0.0 pp | Start of series |
| 5. ChatGPT | 4.5% | — | 4.5% | → 0.0 pp | Start of series |
| 6. Copilot | 0.3% | — | 0.3% | → 0.0 pp | Start of series |
| 7. Gemini | 0.2% | — | 0.2% | → 0.0 pp | Start of series |
Presence: share of the model's answers that cite youtube.com among their sources. Changes in percentage points (pp).
Events
Large changes in the series and what is known about them. We only log explanations with a source; when there is none, we say so.
No events logged up to this week.
Method, in short
Source: data observed and catalogued by First Answer. Each week, we measure by model the share of answers that cite youtube.com among their sources and compare it with the previous week. A change is flagged as significant only when it exceeds the 95% margin and is at least 1 pp. Weeks with a smaller-than-usual base are flagged and left out of the comparison.
Limitations
The index measures what First Answer's base observes, not every search made on the models. We do not disclose volumes, questions, topics, categories, brands, channels or clients; only aggregate measures by model. Claude is not included in this series. Explanations under Events come from external sources and state how confirmed they are.
How to cite
Beckmann, R. (2026). YouTube in AI search: weekly index (week 1, Dec 29, 2025 – Jan 4, 2026). First Answer. https://rodrigobeckmann.com/en/research/indices/youtube-in-ai-search/2026-w01