OpenAI reports ChatGPT search volume reaches 20 percent of Google

Adam Fry, an executive at OpenAI, recently shared updated usage statistics for ChatGPT during an interview with reporter Alex Kantrowitz. According to Fry, the chatbot processes web research requests at a volume equal to about one fifth of Google's total search traffic. Fry also revealed that the platform reached 1.2 billion weekly active visitors after gaining 200 million new participants over two months.

These numbers highlight a notable shift in how everyday internet consumers look up information online. Instead of sifting through lists of website links on traditional search pages, many people now prefer interactive assistants to summarize financial data, answer health questions, or find current updates. This change pressures incumbent search providers to rethink their core product experience, prioritizing immediate summarized answers over standard index links.

What remains uncertain is how OpenAI actually calculates a search event within an ongoing chat session. Because a single extended dialogue can involve several background web lookups, comparing chatbot interactions to traditional search bar queries may not offer a direct comparison. It also raises an open question about whether consumers will trust AI assistants for high stakes health decisions over the long term, or if legacy search engines will stem their loss by refining their own conversational tools.