ChatGPT cited a site's fake statistics for weeks after Google deindexed it
A Peec AI researcher generated 50,000 pages of fabricated statistics with GPT-4.1 for about $50 and published them to test how AI systems source data, per the company’s blog. Google deindexed the site within weeks, but ChatGPT-User continued pulling from it — more than 72,000 requests over 30 days, with over 10,000 distinct AI sessions, Peec AI said. The fabricated numbers went on to appear uncredited in academic papers and an investment research note from Qatar’s largest financial group, according to the post.
Why it matters: Google deindexing the site but ChatGPT continuing to cite it shows the two systems are checking different things when they decide what to surface — a page can fail search quality review entirely and still function as a source for an AI answer, which is the gap any AEO claim about \"ranking\" should be read against.
Via Peec AI blog ↗
Posted to the wire October 7, 2026. Edited by Joe Balewski.