ChatGPT is now handling search-like queries equivalent to roughly one-fifth of Google’s search volume, highlighting the growing role of artificial intelligence in how people find information online.
OpenAI’s consumer product lead, Adam Fry, disclosed the figure during an interview with Alex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology newsletter, saying ChatGPT’s search-like queries had reached approximately 20 per cent of Google’s query volume.
The development signals increasing competition for Google, which has dominated the online search market for more than two decades.
According to the report, searching for information is already among the most common ways people use AI chatbots. A Pew Research Center survey found that 42 per cent of American adults who had used AI reported using it to search for information, making it the leading reported use.
The survey also found that ChatGPT was the most widely used AI chatbot among respondents, with 44 per cent saying they had used it, compared with 24 per cent for Google’s Gemini.
ChatGPT’s growing reach comes as OpenAI reports approximately 1.2 billion weekly users. However, the exact proportion of those users who rely on the platform for information searches, rather than other activities such as coding and image generation, remains unclear.
Google, meanwhile, has continued to maintain its position in the search market. The company says it processes approximately five trillion searches annually.
Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai previously downplayed concerns that AI chatbots would necessarily reduce Google’s search activity, arguing that the growth of new digital platforms does not automatically come at the expense of established services.
In an earlier interview with Bloomberg, Pichai compared the rise of chatbots to TikTok’s emergence, noting that YouTube continued to grow despite increased competition.
However, growing dissatisfaction with traditional search results has created an opening for alternatives such as ChatGPT.
The report points to complaints that Google searches increasingly return results crowded with search engine optimisation-driven content, making it harder for users to find relevant and trustworthy information.
Some users had also begun adding the word “Reddit” to their Google searches in an effort to find first-hand discussions and recommendations rather than conventional search results.
ChatGPT offers a different approach by presenting information in conversational responses rather than a list of links. However, its answers are not always accurate, and users are still advised to verify important information against reliable sources.
The growing use of AI for information searches therefore presents a challenge to traditional search engines while raising questions about the reliability of AI-generated answers and the future of online information discovery.
