{
  "study": "Query fan-out captured from ChatGPT, Gemini & Google AI Mode",
  "publisher": "LLMRanks",
  "url": "https://llmranks.io/blog/how-google-ai-mode-works-query-fan-out",
  "captured": "2026-06",
  "method": "We ran buyer questions through ChatGPT and Gemini and recorded the actual sub-queries (search queries) each engine fired, scanned Google AI Mode's full response for sub-queries, and compared each engine's product picks with web search off vs on.",
  "note": "AI query fan-out drifts over time (models, products, and rankings change) — re-running the same prompts later will produce different sub-queries. Figures are as captured in June 2026.",
  "fan_out_capture": {
    "query": "best robot vacuum for pet hair",
    "chatgpt_searches": [
      "best robot vacuum pet hair 2026 reviews",
      "Wirecutter best robot vacuum pet hair 2026",
      "RTINGS best robot vacuum pet hair robot 2026"
    ],
    "gemini_searches": [
      "\"Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni\" pet hair review",
      "\"Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra\" pet hair review",
      "\"MOVA P50 Pro Ultra\" pet hair",
      "\"Roborock Saros 20\" pet hair",
      "best robot vacuum for pet hair 2026",
      "best robot vacuum for pet hair 2025",
      "rtings best robot vacuum for pet hair",
      "wirecutter best robot vacuum for pet hair"
    ],
    "observation": "Almost none of the fired sub-queries match the typed phrase. ChatGPT hunts authority review sites (Wirecutter, RTINGS); Gemini searches specific current product models."
  },
  "subquery_count_by_question": [
    { "question": "best robot vacuum for pet hair", "type": "buyer", "chatgpt": 3, "gemini": 8 },
    { "question": "Roomba vs Roborock", "type": "comparison", "chatgpt": 6, "gemini": 5 },
    { "question": "how to choose a robot vacuum for a small apartment", "type": "how-to", "chatgpt": 1, "gemini": 3 }
  ],
  "subquery_count_note": "No fixed number — fan-out scales with question complexity. Google publishes no official count; the only credibly measured benchmark is ~10.7 average sub-queries for Gemini 3 (Seer Interactive, Nov 2025).",
  "google_ai_mode": {
    "query": "best robot vacuum for pet hair",
    "sub_queries_exposed": 0,
    "exposes_instead": "the answer text plus ~10 cited source domains (e.g. Forbes, RTINGS, PCMag, VacuumWars)",
    "fingerprint": "The AI Mode answer led with the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni — the exact model Gemini searched by name — and cited RTINGS, the exact site ChatGPT targeted. The hidden fan-out shows in what Google cites."
  },
  "two_stage_retrieval": {
    "query": "best robot vacuum for pet hair",
    "from_memory_web_off": ["Roomba j9+", "Roborock S8 Pro Ultra", "Roomba j7+", "Shark Matrix Plus", "Eufy X10 Pro Omni"],
    "from_memory_note": "All 2023-24 models, consistent with a self-reported training cutoff around January 2025.",
    "searched_web_on": ["Roborock Saros 20", "MOVA P50 Pro Ultra", "Dreame L60 Ultra PE"],
    "searched_note": "Newer than the model's training — it could not recall them, so it found them by searching trusted review sites and reading what they rank today.",
    "conclusion": "A model's product shortlist comes from live retrieval of trusted review sources, not from training memory."
  },
  "external_context": {
    "rank_decoupling": "Ahrefs (early 2026, ~4M cited URLs): only ~38% of AI Overview citations rank in the organic top 10, down from ~76% in July 2025; ~31% rank beyond position 100.",
    "subquery_benchmark": "Seer Interactive (Nov 2025): ~10.7 average fan-out sub-queries for Gemini 3. Google discloses no official count."
  }
}