AI Crypto Citation Blind Spots Exposed: Authority Doesn't Always Win Out
A recent study on AI crypto citation sources has revealed some surprising blind spots. Researchers from ICODA and Semrush tested over 100 controlled queries on ChatGPT and Perplexity to see which sources these AI models cite.
The results showed that despite being widely trusted for raw data, CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap, and DeFiLlama were never cited by either engine across all query categories. This absence of authority in AI citations points to a structural mismatch between the way these platforms provide data and how AI systems generate responses.
Instead of aggregators, four distinct source types consistently showed up across the dataset: purpose-built roundup content, financial and trade media, company disclosures, and community platforms. These sources were chosen based on their relevance to the query intent, source structure, and relevance.