AI Citation

A source link or footnote an AI assistant attaches to its answer, showing which web page supported a statement.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

An AI citation is a source link or footnote an AI assistant attaches to its answer to show which web page supported a statement. Tools such as Perplexity, ChatGPT search and Google AI Overviews display them. Being cited builds brand visibility and can drive referral traffic, making citations a key goal of AI search optimization.