When someone asks ChatGPT or another AI which vacuum to buy or what credit card to get, the answer increasingly includes a link to a YouTube video. A study by the agency Jellyfish found that more than one in every four AI-powered answers about shopping includes a direct link to YouTube. Let's break down what this means for brands and for the creators who make review videos.
How the Study Was Conducted
Analysts at Jellyfish (part of the Brandtech Group) studied AI responses in Australia, analyzing about 250,000 questions per week and over 75 million answers per year. They reviewed answers from models by OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Meta, DeepSeek, and Perplexity—covering all the major AI assistants.
Key Figures
| Metric | Finding |
|---|---|
| Shopping-related answers with a YouTube link | Over 25% |
| Finance: Share of long-form videos among links | 87% |
| Electronics: Share of long-form videos | 94% |
| Home goods & everyday purchases: Share of Shorts | 39% |
| Finance-related answers linking to a specific timestamp | 18% |
The picture varies by category. When the question is complex and involves a big-ticket purchase—like finance or electronics—the AI directs the user to a detailed, long-form review. When it comes to simple, everyday items, Shorts come into play: in this category, short-form videos are used over four times more often than in finance.
The Main Takeaway: AI Doesn't Pick the Most Popular Creators
The study's most important insight is this: the creators who have the most influence on AI answers are not those with the largest audiences, but those with the clearest and most structured content. An AI is more likely to cite a video with clear sections, concise language, and specific, useful details than a popular but disorganized one.
According to Jellyfish's estimates, YouTube creator content delivers 86% more long-term return on ad spend for brands than standard social media ad posts.
What This Means for Brands
- A creator's review outlives a typical ad campaign. A video that gets picked up by AI answers will continue to drive customers for months or even years, as long as the AI keeps citing it.
- Format depends on the product category. Expensive and complex products need detailed reviews, while everyday items call for short-form videos.
- Audience size isn't everything. A smaller creator with a clear, well-structured review can deliver more value to a brand than a popular influencer with a messy integration.
How to Make a Video That AIs Will Cite
The study doesn't offer a magic formula, but its main takeaway—that AIs prefer clear and structured content—points to a few simple rules:
- Title it like a question. Frame your title the way a person would ask an AI: "What's the best robot vacuum under $300?" instead of "My New Helper."
- Use timestamps in the description. Break your video into sections with clear titles. AIs can link to specific timestamps—in finance, nearly one in five answers does this.
- Say the important stuff out loud. The AI "reads" the video's transcript, so the product name, price, and conclusion must be spoken, not just displayed on screen.
- Ensure accurate subtitles. Correct the auto-generated subtitles, especially for product and brand names. A transcription error can prevent the AI from understanding what your video is about.
- Include a summary at the end. A short summary of "who it's for and who it's not for" provides the kind of phrases that are easy for an AI to quote.
What This Means for Creators
- Structure your videos. Divide your reviews into clear sections, say product names and key takeaways out loud, and add timestamps to the description. This makes it easier for AIs to reference the right moment.
- Answer specific questions. An AI is more likely to cite "Which vacuum should I choose for under $400?" than "My Monthly Haul."
- Short-form videos work, too. For everyday products, Shorts account for nearly 40% of links.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which AIs link to YouTube?
The study looked at answers from models by OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google, Anthropic, Meta, DeepSeek, and Perplexity. YouTube links appear in over a quarter of shopping-related answers.
Why don't AIs pick the most popular videos?
Because they need a clear answer to the user's question. A structured review with concise conclusions is more useful for an answer than a popular but disorganized video.
Do Shorts work?
Yes, especially for everyday products, where they account for 39% of links. For finance and electronics, AIs prefer long-form reviews.
Does this study only apply to Australia?
Yes, the data was collected from Australian users. There are no studies of this scale for other countries yet, but they use the same AI models.
To learn how much it costs to commission a review from a creator and how to calculate it, check out our articles "How Much Do Creator Ads Cost in 2026" and "How to Calculate Cost Per 1,000 Impressions (CPM)". You can find brands that pay creators for videos, and creators to produce reviews, in the "Content Rewards" section on the Prime Oracles hub.