Gemini, Perplexity, ChatGPT link to fake retail sites

a study by ip protection firm podqi tested google's gemini, perplexity, and chatgpt with shopping-related questions about 151 brands. the study found that in 6,795 answers, all three ai engines cited and showed shoppers risky sites, including fake websites impersonating real retailers or selling knockoffs. perplexity performed the worst, showing risky sites in 15% of answers, while gemini showed risky sites in 4% of answers. chatgpt fell in the middle at 8%. smaller brands appear especially at risk. ai companies market chatbots as helpful for shopping tasks, but citing fake sites is a headache for brands and retailers, and a risk for consumers.