New research from digital marketing agency Jellyfish shows that YouTube creator content is increasingly popping up in LLMs.
The company, part of the Brandtech Group, analysed more than 27 million AI model response data points across 7 LLMs and surfaced that YouTube creator content now appears in more than one in four AI-generated answers across tracked categories — rising to almost one in two for high-intent sectors.
But it’s not just YouTube; Instagram and TikTok’s content is also climbing the influence rankings.
Information-rich content
The research comes as the agency expands its Share of Model platform, with the launch of Creator Intelligence tools, through which it found that content achieving greater visibility within AI search results tends to be created by niche experts focusing on information-rich content — rather than celebrity influencers.
Indeed, commenting on the results, Jack Smyth, Brandtech Australia Country Lead and Share of Model pioneer, noted that the most striking insight of the research is that, often, it’s not creators with the biggest followings that are garnering the most AI influence, it’s creators with the most “structured, authoritative” content.
“A single well-made video from an independent creator can appear in AI recommendations eight times for five different consumer questions, sitting alongside the biggest comparison sites in the market. These capabilities let brands see that happening – and finally do something about it,” said Smyth.
Creators over brands
At the same time, Natasha Wallace, Chief Solutions Officer, Jellyfish, noted that, in many categories, creator content is appearing more frequently than brand-owned content.
In the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category, for example, nine out of 10 YouTube videos appearing in AI results were from independent creators, not brands.
And brands are already beginning to take note. Indeed, earlier this year, IAB UK shared research showing that 84% of UK brands and agencies expected to work with more creators in 2026, with 2025 Edelman research finding that 60% of consumers now trust what creators say about a brand more than “what the brand says about itself.”
However, going forward, Wallace said that brands need not only an understanding of who audiences trust, but also who AI trusts.
“By connecting creator-level AI insights with one of the world's largest creator networks, we're helping brands move from understanding influence to acting on it,” Wallace added.
