ChatGPT Search Volume Now Equals 20% of Google’s, OpenAI Says

OpenAI announced in November 2026 that the volume of search queries processed through ChatGPT has reached 20 percent of the volume handled by Google. Adam Fry, OpenAI’s consumer product lead for ChatGPT, made the disclosure at a press event on Monday.

Fry defined a search as any query that results in a web search, excluding tasks such as defining a term or answering a simple how-to question. He did not specify the source of the Google search volume figures used for comparison.

For context, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified during Google’s 2023 antitrust trial that Bing held roughly 3 percent of the search engine market share after more than a decade of effort. During that same trial, Google identified AI — and ChatGPT specifically — as a potential competitive threat. OpenAI reportedly uses Microsoft Bing for a significant portion of its searches alongside its own in-house search index, though some speculation remains about whether it also routes queries through Google.

The announcement comes as Google continues to shift away from conventional referrals to third-party sites and expands its own AI-driven search features, including personalized results with visualizations and charts. OpenAI, meanwhile, is developing what it calls “Intelligent UI” — a visual and interactive interface embedded within chatbot responses. “That’s where the future of this technology goes. You’re talking to a canvas,” Fry said.

Advertising is also becoming a larger part of OpenAI’s strategy, particularly as the company eyes a potential IPO in early 2027. Last month, OpenAI began introducing images of sponsored products in ChatGPT, expanding beyond the name, logo, and link format used previously. Fry told reporters the ads had not hurt usage. “Ads have not negatively impacted the product or the usage of the product,” he said. “Ads have maybe shown us that we could be doing this more, actually.”