Study: AI Chatbots Recommend Fake Retail Sites in Up to 15% of Shopping Answers
A new study reveals that ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity frequently cite fake or dead websites when users ask where to buy products.
Shoppers using AI chatbots to find products may be directed to imposters, according to a new study by IP protection firm Podqi shared exclusively with The Verge. The research tested ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Perplexity with shopping-related questions for 151 brands, including Lululemon and Le Creuset.
Across 6,795 answers, the study found that all three engines cited risky sites—defined as fake impersonators, reregistered old domains, or dead links. Perplexity performed the worst, displaying risky sites in 15% of its answers. ChatGPT followed at 8%, while Gemini showed them least often at 4%. Smaller brands were found to be at higher risk than larger companies.
Podqi CEO Trevor West emphasized that consumers should verify sources before entering personal or payment information. Representatives from Google, OpenAI, and Perplexity acknowledged the findings, stating they are working to improve safeguards and information quality.