How AI answer engines name Cisco
Data through October 10, 2026
Across 1,478 answers ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI surfaces gave to buyer questions about Cybersecurity between May 10, 2026 and October 10, 2026, Cisco was named in 81 (5.5%).
By engine
Answers each engine gave to buyer questions in the 8 categories where Cisco was named at least 3 times, and how many of them named Cisco.
| Engine | Named | Answers | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 19 | 1,643 | 1.2% |
| Claude | 16 | 1,683 | 1.0% |
| Gemini | 81 | 1,679 | 4.8% |
| Perplexity | 27 | 1,653 | 1.6% |
| Google AI Mode | 34 | 607 | 5.6% |
| Google AI Overviews | 5 | 185 | 2.7% |
By question type
The same answers, split by the shape of the buyer question.
| Question type | Named | Answers | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best-of | 9 | 723 | 1.2% |
| Ranked list | 32 | 747 | 4.3% |
| Head-to-head | 3 | 733 | 0.4% |
| Is it worth it | 12 | 766 | 1.6% |
| How to choose | 13 | 791 | 1.6% |
| Problem first | 9 | 738 | 1.2% |
| News | 104 | 2,952 | 3.5% |
Named first
When an answer named Cisco alongside another brand in this record, it was named first in 37 of 134 (27.6%).
Named alongside
- Palo Alto Networks: named together in 47 answers
- CrowdStrike: named together in 38 answers
- Splunk: named together in 19 answers
- Qualys: named together in 18 answers
- Salesforce: named together in 18 answers
- Okta: named together in 16 answers
- SentinelOne: named together in 16 answers
- Databricks: named together in 9 answers
Sources the engines cited when they named Cisco
Domains cited in answers that named Cisco, by the number of those answers that cited them.
| Domain | Answers |
|---|---|
| youtube.com | 40 |
| gartner.com | 22 |
| linkedin.com | 20 |
| reddit.com | 19 |
| sentinelone.com | 16 |
| medium.com | 14 |
| crn.com | 13 |
| grandviewresearch.com | 12 |
| marketsandmarkets.com | 12 |
| microsoft.com | 12 |
Cisco's own site (cisco.com) was cited in 24 of 186 (12.9%).
All categories
| Category | Named | Answers | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity | 81 | 1,478 | 5.5% |
| Enterprise AI | 24 | 501 | 4.8% |
| Infrastructure & Dev Tools | 21 | 489 | 4.3% |
| AI Security & Privacy | 19 | 974 | 2.0% |
| Education & Training | 18 | 906 | 2.0% |
| Enterprise Software | 12 | 1,395 | 0.9% |
| HR & Talent | 4 | 1,221 | 0.3% |
| Legal & Compliance | 3 | 486 | 0.6% |
| PR & Earned Media | 2 | 287 | 0.7% |
| AI Infrastructure | 1 | 959 | 0.1% |
| Deep Tech & Hardware | 1 | 943 | 0.1% |
How this is measured
Names are matched case-sensitively from each brand's own homepage title, in answers stored by the Machine Relations Index. Only derived counts are published here; no answer text is.
A brand appears only once it has been named in at least 10 answers on 7 separate days.
A name match counts a mention. It does not count a recommendation, and it does not measure sentiment.
Categories are the Index's buyer-question categories.
Source: Machine Relations Index.
FAQ
Does ChatGPT recommend Cisco?
ChatGPT named Cisco in 19 of 1,643 answers (1.2%) to buyer questions in the 8 categories where Cisco was named at least 3 times between May 10, 2026 and October 10, 2026. This record counts a name, not a recommendation: it does not judge whether the answer endorsed Cisco.
Which sources do AI engines cite when they mention Cisco?
The domains cited most often in answers that named Cisco were youtube.com (40 answers), gartner.com (22 answers) and linkedin.com (20 answers).
Which AI engine names Cisco most often?
Google AI Mode, at 5.6%: it named Cisco in 34 of 607 answers to buyer questions in the 8 categories where Cisco was named at least 3 times.