— Ranking Top 10 · AI Overview —
Who controls Google's AI Overview for Premium Education US West Coast, San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles?
youtube.com holds the strongest AI opening share on the Premium Education US West Coast market at 13.90%, observed across 7 comparable scheduled runs in the observation period September 14–20, 2026.
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- Market
- Premium Education US West Coast
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles
- Observed period
- September 14–20, 2026
- Run type
- Period run · 7 comparable runs
- Queries
- 105 queries per run
- Search engine
- Device
- Desktop
- Source location
- United States
- Reading
- Ranking Top 10 · AI Overview
“On Premium Education US West Coast, platforms — not institutions — open the most AI answers across the 7-run window.”
Quick answer
reddit.com follows at 13.40%, sitting 0.50 percentage points behind youtube.com on AI opening share on this market.
Key reading
Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles · AI Overview · September 14–20, 2026
youtube.com holds the rank-1 position in the period-wide AI opening-control ranking at 13.90%, but the top 3 actors together hold less than the remaining 7 combined — confirming a scattered field rather than a concentrated front-runner. The 9 sources behind youtube.com range from 13.40% down to 3.97%, a spread of 9.93 percentage points from rank 1 to rank 10. The panel mixes general-purpose platforms — youtube.com, reddit.com, facebook.com, quora.com, en.wikipedia.org — with focused sources such as boardingschoolreview.com, executive.berkeley.edu, niche.com, usnews.com, and privateschoolreview.com. That mix signals an AI opening-control surface where no single source type has locked down the primacy slot across the 105 observed queries over the period.
Core metric
AIO opening control — top 10 · Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles · AI Overview · September 14–20, 2026
Observed metric
AIO opening control — top 10
| Actor | Rank | AIO opening share | Presence |
|---|---|---|---|
| youtube.com | #1 | 13.90% AI opening share | opening in 7/7 runs |
| reddit.com | #2 | 13.40% AI opening share | opening in 7/7 runs |
| facebook.com | #3 | 10.92% AI opening share | opening in 7/7 runs |
| boardingschoolreview.com | #4 | 10.42% AI opening share | opening in 7/7 runs |
| executive.berkeley.edu | #5 | 6.45% AI opening share | opening in 7/7 runs |
| niche.com | #6 | 6.45% AI opening share | opening in 7/7 runs |
| quora.com | #7 | 6.20% AI opening share | opening in 7/7 runs |
| usnews.com | #8 | 5.21% AI opening share | opening in 7/7 runs |
| privateschoolreview.com | #9 | 4.22% AI opening share | opening in 6/7 runs |
| en.wikipedia.org | #10 | 3.97% AI opening share | opening in 6/7 runs |
How the actors read on the surface
Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles · AI Overview · September 14–20, 2026
youtube.com holds the strongest AI opening share on this market in this card scope, at 13.90%. It opened AI answers on 7 of 7 comparable runs, making it one of 8 actors on the panel to do so across the full window.
reddit.com records 13.40% AI opening share on this market, sitting 0.50 percentage points behind youtube.com on AI opening share on this market. It also opened AI answers on 7 of 7 comparable runs — the narrowest gap to the rank-1 actor on the panel.
facebook.com records 10.92% AI opening share on this market and sits 2.98 percentage points behind youtube.com on AI opening share on this market. As a general-purpose platform, it opened AI answers on 7 of 7 comparable runs.
boardingschoolreview.com records 10.42% AI opening share on this market, the highest-ranked focused source on this panel. It sits 3.47 percentage points behind youtube.com on AI opening share on this market and opened AI answers on 7 of 7 comparable runs.
executive.berkeley.edu records 6.45% AI opening share on this market and sits 7.44 percentage points behind youtube.com on AI opening share on this market. It opened AI answers on 7 of 7 comparable runs, placing it in the mid-tier of the panel by cumulative opening volume.
niche.com records 6.45% AI opening share on this market — the same displayed value as executive.berkeley.edu — and sits 7.44 percentage points behind youtube.com on AI opening share on this market. It opened AI answers on 7 of 7 comparable runs.
quora.com records 6.20% AI opening share on this market and sits 7.69 percentage points behind youtube.com. As a user-generated discussion platform, it opened AI answers on 7 of 7 comparable runs.
usnews.com records 5.21% AI opening share on this market and sits 8.68 percentage points behind youtube.com on AI opening share on this market. It opened AI answers on 7 of 7 comparable runs.
privateschoolreview.com records 4.22% AI opening share on this market and sits 9.68 percentage points behind youtube.com. It opened AI answers on 6 of 7 comparable runs — one of 2 actors on the panel with fewer than 7 runs of presence.
en.wikipedia.org records 3.97% AI opening share on this market, the lowest on the governed panel, and sits 9.93 percentage points behind youtube.com. It opened AI answers on 6 of 7 comparable runs.
Pattern on the observed surface
Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles · AI Overview · September 14–20, 2026
The opening-control rail for Premium Education US West Coast
The opening-control rail for Premium Education US West Coast is dispersed rather than concentrated. The top 3 actors together hold less than the remaining 7 combined, and the top 2 actors together hold less than the remaining 8 combined. Platforms occupy five of the governed top-10 positions, while focused sources fill the other five — a near-even split between general-purpose platforms and education-oriented domains. 8 of the 10 actors on the panel opened AI answers in all 7 comparable runs; 2 opened AI answers in fewer runs. The surface reads as a wide-open field where no single source type controls the AI primacy slot across the observed query set.
Why this reading matters
Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles · AI Overview · September 14–20, 2026
youtube.com holds the rank-1 position in the period-wide ranking, yet the AI opening-control surface on this market is wide open across the 7-run window. The spread of 9.93 percentage points from rank 1 to rank 10 and the presence of both platforms and focused sources across the panel suggest that AI Overviews draw from a broad pool of domains when opening answers on premium education queries for the US West Coast.
Market implication
Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles · AI Overview · September 14–20, 2026
The AI opening-control surface on this market remains wide open across the 7-run window. youtube.com holds the rank-1 position at 13.90%, but the top 3 actors together hold less than the remaining 7 combined — no single actor or source type has converted opening-control exposure into concentrated authority on this observed surface. For any institution or operator monitoring AI visibility on Premium Education US West Coast, the period observation signals a dispersed field where the primacy slot is shared across platforms and focused sources alike.
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Observatory Reading — Citable Proof Capsule
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- Scope:
- Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles
- Surface:
- AI Overview · Google · Desktop
- Observed:
- September 14–20, 2026
- Published:
- September 22, 2026
Method: How readings are scoped · Run metadata · Source protocol · Corrections and right of reply
Observed by The Observatory. Not an endorsement, recommendation, market-share claim or commercial ranking.
Free reuse, including commercial republication, under The Observatory’s Terms. Retain attribution, source link, scope and date. Terms · Citation guide
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The complete citation record · revision 2a790ba3b19d94a1
Who controls Google's AI Overview for Premium Education US West Coast, San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles? Source: https://theobservatory.io/articles/premium-education-san-francisco-bay-area-los-angeles-ai-overview-control-september-14-20-2026 Scope: Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles · AI Overview · Google · Desktop Family: Ranking Top 10 Observed: September 14–20, 2026 (2026-09-14/2026-09-20) Published: September 22, 2026 Method — How readings are scoped: https://theobservatory.io/method#standards Method — Run metadata: https://theobservatory.io/method/panel#run-metadata Method — Source protocol: https://theobservatory.io/method#source-protocol Method — Corrections and right of reply: https://theobservatory.io/method#corrections Public table: https://theobservatory.io/articles/premium-education-san-francisco-bay-area-los-angeles-ai-overview-control-september-14-20-2026/data.csv Citation text: https://theobservatory.io/articles/premium-education-san-francisco-bay-area-los-angeles-ai-overview-control-september-14-20-2026/citation.txt Reuse terms: https://theobservatory.io/terms youtube.com holds the strongest AI opening share on the Premium Education US West Coast market at 13.90%, observed across 7 comparable scheduled runs in the observation period September 14–20, 2026. Key facts: • youtube.com: 14% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs • reddit.com: 13% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs • facebook.com: 11% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs Published table — AIO opening control — top 10 (September 14–20, 2026 · 105 queries per run · 7 comparable runs): Rank · Actor · AIO opening control 1. youtube.com — 13.90% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs — #1 2. reddit.com — 13.40% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs — #2 3. facebook.com — 10.92% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs — #3 4. boardingschoolreview.com — 10.42% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs — #4 5. executive.berkeley.edu — 6.45% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs — #5 6. niche.com — 6.45% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs — #6 7. quora.com — 6.20% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs — #7 8. usnews.com — 5.21% AI opening share · opening in 7/7 runs — #8 9. privateschoolreview.com — 4.22% AI opening share · opening in 6/7 runs — #9 10. en.wikipedia.org — 3.97% AI opening share · opening in 6/7 runs — #10 Reading basis: This card observes the AI Overview opening-control rail for Premium Education US West Coast in United States on Google desktop across 7 comparable scheduled runs in the observation period September 14–20, 2026. The governed top-10 panel is ranked by cumulative AI opening volume over the period, aggregated from 105 observed queries. Per-actor metric values reflect the sum of each actor's openings across all comparable runs divided by one single period-wide denominator. AI Overview opening-control evidence was available on 7 of 7 runs. The primary metric is AI opening share on this market. Limitations and non-claims: — Observes the observed AI answer surface only; within a defined scope and window. — A period aggregate (7 comparable runs) — not a claim about bookings, revenue, or market share. — Scoped to Premium Education US West Coast San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles, September 2026; not generalisable beyond this market and window. — The Observatory · Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles · AI Overview · Google · Desktop · September 14–20, 2026 Based on governed AAI Kernel evidence. Capture identifier: pr_1789932008786_k59q3f. Cite freely with attribution. Published by The Observatory. Source footnote: Sourced from a published AAI MIB card. The Observatory publishes this card’s public findings; values are as observed on the search surface, not business-market claims. Attribution: Published by The Observatory · Based on an AAI Kernel capture · governed by The Observatory editorial system Cite: According to The Observatory (September 22, 2026), Who controls Google's AI Overview for Premium Education US West Coast, San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles?. https://theobservatory.io/articles/premium-education-san-francisco-bay-area-los-angeles-ai-overview-control-september-14-20-2026 This record is the published reading and its public table/slice as served on the card — not the complete underlying capture or provider dataset. Observed by The Observatory. Not an endorsement, recommendation, market-share claim or commercial ranking. Free reuse, including commercial republication, under The Observatory’s Terms. Retain attribution, source link, scope and date. Revision: 2a790ba3b19d94a1
This record is the published reading and its public table/slice as served on the card — not the complete underlying capture or provider dataset.
— The Observatory · Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles · AI Overview · Google · Desktop · September 14–20, 2026
Based on governed AAI Kernel evidence. Capture identifier pr_1789932008786_k59q3f. Cite freely with attribution. Published by The Observatory.
FAQ
- What does AI opening share measure?
- AI opening share captures which domain is cited at the very opening of an AI Overview answer — the source AI reaches for first when constructing its response. It is not general citation share and it is not organic search ranking.
- How reliable is a 7-run window for reading this surface?
- This reading is based on 7 observation runs — enough to map the current competitive shape, but too early to confirm whether these opening-control positions will hold or shift over a longer period. AI Overview opening behavior is volatile across queries, models, and dates.
- Does this card prove which institution leads the premium education market?
- No. This card observes AI opening-control visibility on Google desktop for 105 queries in the Premium Education US West Coast market. It does not measure business-market leadership, enrollment outcomes, or general citation share.
Scope and limitations
Premium Education US West Coast · San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles · AI Overview · September 14–20, 2026 · what this card does not claim
- Observes the observed AI answer surface only; within a defined scope and window.
- A period aggregate (7 comparable runs) — not a claim about bookings, revenue, or market share.
- Scoped to Premium Education US West Coast San Francisco Bay Area / Los Angeles, September 2026; not generalisable beyond this market and window.
Method & source
This card observes the AI Overview opening-control rail for Premium Education US West Coast in United States on Google desktop across 7 comparable scheduled runs in the observation period September 14–20, 2026. The governed top-10 panel is ranked by cumulative AI opening volume over the period, aggregated from 105 observed queries. Per-actor metric values reflect the sum of each actor's openings across all comparable runs divided by one single period-wide denominator. AI Overview opening-control evidence was available on 7 of 7 runs. The primary metric is AI opening share on this market.
The complete methodology — scope, panels, run conditions and corrections — is set out on the Method page.
Source protocol · How readings are scoped · Run metadata · Corrections
Period observation across 7 comparable scheduled runs (September 14–20, 2026). AI Overview opening-control evidence available on 7 of 7 runs. This observation does not establish a longer-term trend. No claim about general citation share or organic visibility.
A capture from AAI Kernel’s governed intelligence — published by The Observatory. One reading of many; the publication date is distinct from the observed window shown above.Published 2026-09-22 · Governed capture ID · pr_1789932008786_k59q3f
Sourced from a published AAI MIB card. The Observatory publishes this card’s public findings; values are as observed on the search surface, not business-market claims.
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Governed measurements and verbatim quotations from observed AI models are distinct from The Observatory’s editorial interpretations. Original model statements are preserved as observed, including any inaccuracies they may contain. Learn more about our verification and editorial standards
Submit a statement → right-of-reply@theobservatory.ioHow we read this
Sourced from a published AAI MIB card. The Observatory publishes this card’s public findings; values are as observed on the search surface, not business-market claims.
Method & SourceContinue the reading
The Premium Education US West Coast room places this AI Overview Ranking — Top 10 reading alongside the market’s other published observations.
For the same observation window, September 14–20, 2026, Premium Education US West Coast is also read in the AI Citation Ranking — Top 5 table, the Organic Ranking — Top 5 table and the Query Spotlight table; each keeps its own reading basis.
The Boston / New York reading and Dubai Abu Dhabi reading examine the same AI Overview Ranking — Top 10 for September 14–20, 2026; compare the stated reading bases before drawing a cross-market conclusion.
