Glossary · Technical
Source Grounding
Tying an AI-generated statement to a specific retrieved source, so the claim is traceable to identifiable content rather than resting on the model's memorized knowledge alone.
What it means
A grounded answer points to where a claim came from — a specific page, document or search result. An ungrounded answer states something as fact purely from the model's trained knowledge, with no source a reader could check.
Why it matters for AI visibility
Platforms that show citations are effectively showing their work, and the sources that get cited are the ones grounding the answer. Being the page that grounds a claim about a brand — rather than just being mentioned from the model's memory — is often what turns an AI mention into an actual visible, clickable citation.
See more terms in the full glossary, or read the AI Visibility 101 guide for the full picture.