How do AI assistants like Perplexity process and cite online sources?

AI assistants use a process called Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to scan the web for the most authoritative and relevant information in real-time. They look for consensus across multiple trusted sources but will specifically cite the website that provides the most direct and clear answer to the user's prompt. Authority and clarity are the key signals these algorithms use to determine which link to display as a citation.