[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"branding":3,"analytics":7,"article-three-sites-built-215128-software-pages-perplexity-cites":10,"sections":34},{"siteName":4,"siteTagline":5,"publisherName":4,"contactEmail":6},"The Revision","Tech news, decoded.","editor@therevision.news",{"gaMeasurementId":8,"adsenseClientId":9},"G-ZW2MV82GYR","ca-pub-8533917693782264",{"article":11},{"id":12,"slug":13,"title":14,"dek":15,"body_md":16,"tags_json":17,"published_at":18,"created_at":19,"updated_at":20,"status":21,"review_note":22,"review_notes":23,"image_url":22,"persona_id":22,"persona_name":22,"section":24,"tags":25,"sources":29,"feedback":33,"feedback_at":22,"cost_usd":33,"total_tokens":33},5998,"three-sites-built-215128-software-pages-perplexity-cites","Three Sites Built 215,128 Software Pages Perplexity Cites","A report found three websites generated more than 215,000 near identical best software pages, and Perplexity now cites them as sources.","Three websites quietly built more than 215,000 near identical best software pages, and Perplexity treats them as reliable sources.\n\nA new report from Trellner examined how AI answer engines pick which software recommendations to show users. It found that three sites had mass produced 215,128 pages ranking best apps and tools across categories, using what looks like templated, automated generation rather than hands on testing. Despite the scale and formulaic structure, Perplexity pulls citations from these pages when people ask for software recommendations. The report frames this as a manufactured source problem: content built for search visibility, not accuracy, feeding straight into AI generated answers.\n\nAI search tools promise faster, more trustworthy answers than a page of links, but they are only as good as the sources feeding them. If a handful of content farms can out produce legitimate reviewers by orders of magnitude, they can dominate what an AI assistant recommends, whether or not the advice is any good. That is old fashioned SEO spam wearing a new outfit, aimed at answer engines instead of search rankings.\n\nGoogle spent two decades fighting thin content farms in its own results. AI search products are now relearning that lesson, with even less visibility into who, or what, is actually writing the source material.","[\"ai\",\"perplexity\",\"seo\",\"content-farms\"]","2026-09-02T13:59:59.000Z","2026-09-02T15:48:43.086Z","2026-09-02T15:48:55.014Z","published",null,[],"ai",[24,26,27,28],"perplexity","seo","content-farms",[30],{"name":31,"url":32},"Hacker News","https:\u002F\u002Ftrellner.com\u002Freports\u002Fmanufactured-sources-behind-ai-recommendations\u002F",0,{"sections":35},[36,40,45,50,55,60,65,70,75,80,85,90,95,100],{"name":37,"slug":24,"count":38,"latest_published_at":39},"AI",3385,"2026-09-04T22:17:36.000Z",{"name":41,"slug":42,"count":43,"latest_published_at":44},"Security","security",565,"2026-09-05T00:03:08.000Z",{"name":46,"slug":47,"count":48,"latest_published_at":49},"Policy","policy",300,"2026-09-04T22:18:34.000Z",{"name":51,"slug":52,"count":53,"latest_published_at":54},"Deals","deals",179,"2026-06-29T20:02:07.000Z",{"name":56,"slug":57,"count":58,"latest_published_at":59},"Hardware","hardware",152,"2026-09-03T09:26:48.000Z",{"name":61,"slug":62,"count":63,"latest_published_at":64},"Consumer Tech","consumer-tech",97,"2026-09-04T15:29:18.000Z",{"name":66,"slug":67,"count":68,"latest_published_at":69},"Science","science",96,"2026-09-03T22:30:00.000Z",{"name":71,"slug":72,"count":73,"latest_published_at":74},"Software","software",73,"2026-08-18T07:51:50.000Z",{"name":76,"slug":77,"count":78,"latest_published_at":79},"Dev Tools","dev-tools",69,"2026-08-18T04:00:00.000Z",{"name":81,"slug":82,"count":83,"latest_published_at":84},"Startups","startups",54,"2026-09-04T23:36:14.000Z",{"name":86,"slug":87,"count":88,"latest_published_at":89},"Gaming","gaming",41,"2026-07-09T04:00:00.000Z",{"name":91,"slug":92,"count":93,"latest_published_at":94},"General","general",37,"2026-09-04T20:22:41.000Z",{"name":96,"slug":97,"count":98,"latest_published_at":99},"Reviews","reviews",20,"2026-06-24T12:00:01.000Z",{"name":101,"slug":102,"count":103,"latest_published_at":104},"How-To","how-to",6,"2026-06-16T09:00:00.000Z"]