Google yourself lately? It doesn’t hit the same way it used to. With Google Search undergoing a fundamental transformation in 2026, and AI chatbots increasingly becoming the go-to source for information, the traditional web search feels less like the canonical authority it once was. More people are learning about you—and everyone else—through AI-generated responses.
Thomas Dimson and Joey Flynn felt this shift acutely. Their response is In the Weights, a platform that measures how well AI models recall individuals without relying on web search. The “weights” in the name refer to the numerical parameters that shape an AI model’s training and output. As the site puts it, “Being in the weights means your existence was deemed important in the process of creating superhuman artificial intelligence.”
How It Works
In the Weights queries a range of models—including Grok, Gemini, multiple versions of GPT, Claude, Llama, and lesser-known ones—with a prompt like: “Who is
Real-World Example
For instance, this humble tech blogger received a strength score of 641, placing me in the top 6% of names. I felt pretty good—until I saw that multiple TechCrunch colleagues scored even higher. The leaderboard shifts constantly; as of this writing, “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin holds the top spot with a score of 988, followed by opera legend Luciano Pavarotti.
The results also show which models returned answers for a given name, and they highlight potential hallucinations. For example, GPT-5.4 Mini reportedly claimed that Anthony Ha is an “ambiguous name form that could refer to multiple…”—a classic AI fabrication. This transparency helps users understand the reliability of AI recall and spot inaccuracies in real time.
Why It Matters in 2026
As AI becomes more embedded in daily life—powering search engines, virtual assistants, and content curation—the concept of “being in the weights” is a new form of digital footprint. Unlike traditional SEO or social media presence, this metric reflects how prominently you appear in the training data of large language models. For public figures, journalists, and professionals, In the Weights offers a glimpse into AI’s perception of their identity, complete with strengths, weaknesses, and hallucination alerts.
This tool is more than a vanity search; it’s a barometer for how AI models see the world—and who they deem important. As the technology evolves, so too will our understanding of what it means to exist in the weights.
via TechCrunch AI