Source of Trust
Making AI Search Trust More Transparent.
AI search engines select information sources and present answers with supporting citations. The mechanisms connecting source recognition, selection, and citation are only partly documented.
The Source of Trust Initiative (SoTI) develops an open, evidence-based reference framework around one research question:
What makes an information source a Source of Trust for AI search engines?
By combining official search engine documentation, technical research, observed AI search behavior, and public discussion, the initiative examines the characteristics and signals relevant to source selection, credibility, and AI visibility. Its research focuses on AI Search and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), with practical relevance for SEO/GEO professionals, developers, and researchers.
Our Approach — Observe. Discuss. Explain.
- Observe: analyze official documentation, technical developments, and observable AI search behavior, recording the system, query, context, and date.
- Discuss: examine findings, GEO hypotheses, and alternative interpretations through public discussion.
- Explain: organize the findings into a traceable Source-of-Trust reference model, distinguishing documented facts, observations, and the initiative’s conclusions.
Context Matters
A source’s relevance and the grounds for relying on it depend on the query, subject, and information need. A local business may be a relevant primary source for its own services; a medical explanation calls for different evidence and expertise.
The trust dimensions guide contextual assessment. Their relevance and weight vary with the question; they are not a universal checklist that every source must satisfy equally. Contextual Trust Assessment explains this approach.
Core Definition
A Source of Trust (SoT) is an identifiable information-providing entity for which evidence of relevant competence, integrity, and reliable information practices justifies reliance on its attributable information within a defined context.
This proposed definition is an original synthesis of research on source credibility and information quality, together with technical work on provenance. Its rationale and references are provided in the Core Definition and Conceptual Framework.
Trust Dimensions
The framework uses six fundamental principles as assessment dimensions. Competence and integrity inform their interpretation across the model. The specification’s separate guidance on interpreting trust signals is not a seventh dimension.
- Identity
- A distinguishable source with checkable links between its identity and publications.
- Authority
- Evidence of relevant expertise, first-hand knowledge, or responsibility for a defined subject.
- Provenance
- Traceable origins, attribution, and relevant transformations of information.
- Evidence
- Relevant, inspectable support for specific claims, with methods and uncertainty made explicit.
- Consistency
- Coherent claims and documented updates, assessed with attention to source independence and time.
- Accessibility
- Information and supporting material that humans and machines can locate and interpret.
Open Development
Project status: Early Development
SoTI is the Publisher and Maintainer of the Source of Trust specifications. Its editorial responsibility and development principles are documented publicly.
The framework develops through findings and contributions submitted for review. SEO/GEO professionals, developers, and researchers can refine terminology, examine hypotheses, and provide documented examples through issues, proposed changes, and discussion. The proposal record explains the rationale for the current revision.