# Fudan paper finds four AI search tools cite fabricated concept within a week

Digest AI · Research · published 2026-10-19T13:34:28Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/fudan-paper-finds-four-ai-search-tools-cite-fabricated-concept-within

## Summary

Researchers at Fudan University posted fabricated articles about a fictional “Cactus Gravity Protocol” and other made‑up topics on nine popular sites and then queried ten AI search tools over a week in March and April. The English‑web tools—ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok and Google AI—were among those that cited the invented concept.

Grok linked to a post in 30 of 32 answers, Google AI in 15 of 33, Perplexity in 13 of 35 and ChatGPT in 7 of 20. Across all ten tools and the three topics, 176 of the 1,004 answers contained links to the planted posts. Grok’s responses included the fabricated detail in 53% of its 32 answers, ChatGPT in 10% of its 20, Google AI in 6% of its 33, while Perplexity showed none. Perplexity was the only tool to cite an “opinion” post, doing so in 11.4% of its 35 responses.

The authors note that the tests pre‑date Google’s May 15 clarification on spam policies for generative AI, and they say the exact citation rates may shift as the tools evolve. They disclosed the findings to all ten platforms, and ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI acknowledged receipt.

## Key points

- Grok cited the fabricated concept in 30 of 32 answers; Google AI in 15 of 33.
- Perplexity cited it in 13 of 35 answers; ChatGPT in 7 of 20.
- Across all ten tools, 176 of 1,004 answers linked to the fabricated posts.

## Why it matters

The findings show that major AI search assistants can quickly surface brand‑new, fabricated content, raising concerns about misinformation and the reliability of AI‑generated citations for users and marketers.

## Sources

1. [AI Search Tools Cited A Made-Up Concept Within A Week, Paper Finds via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern](https://searchenginejournal.com/ai-search-tools-cited-a-made-up-concept-within-a-week-paper-finds/593472) (Search Engine Journal, 2026-10-19)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Fudan paper finds four AI search tools cite fabricated concept within a week", 19 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/fudan-paper-finds-four-ai-search-tools-cite-fabricated-concept-within

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