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llms.txt GeneratorDoes AI add current-year terms to searches?
Yes, often. AI injected a year term in 25.66% of prompt-to-query transformations, representing 2,956 queries out of 11,521 prompt-query pairs, showing a strong preference for freshness when formulating retrieval queries.
The key numbers.
- Year injection rate
- 2,956 queries injected a year term.
- 25.66%
- Prompt-query pairs
- Captured prompt-to-query transformations.
- 11,521
Stale evergreen pages frequently lose visibility to current-year roundups and comparison pages because AI systems actively append temporal constraints to retrieval queries, even when the original user prompt omits a year.
The evidence.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Year injection rate 2,956 queries injected a year term. | 25.66% |
| Prompt-query pairs Captured prompt-to-query transformations. | 11,521 |
Population and method
Built from 11,521 captured prompt-to-query pairs observed in OpenAI web search calls, with 100% search-query coverage in the sampled dataset.
Where the evidence stops
This study reflects captured search-query transformations rather than every hidden retrieval step a model may perform.
Some inserted entities reflect category heuristics or market leaders rather than final recommendation outcomes.
The underlying dataset is concentrated in commercial and research prompts rather than all possible conversational traffic.
What to do with this
- Write for the query the model is likely to search rather than just the wording a human might type first.
- Add current-year, format, and category framing where it genuinely helps the page answer the query.
- Ensure competitor and category language is present when the model is likely to inject it during retrieval.
Operators must prioritize content refresh cycles and temporal relevance signals, as failing to update evergreen assets directly reduces the likelihood of inclusion in AI retrieval sets.
Questions about this answer.
Cite this answer.
Source study: Query Translation“Yes, often. AI injected a year term in 25.66% of prompt-to-query transformations, representing 2,956 queries out of 11,521 prompt-query pairs, showing a strong preference for freshness when formulating retrieval queries.”
Mack Grenfell · Does AI add current-year terms to searches?
How AI Translates Your Questions · Trakkr Research · Updated 22 January 2026