Science & Tech · AI · 1 hr ago
ChatGPT Search-Like Queries Reach About One-Fifth of Google's Volume
OpenAI says ChatGPT gets search-like queries equal to about one-fifth of Google's search volume.
The estimate was given by Adam Fry, ChatGPT's consumer product lead.
ChatGPT is being used not only for writing and coding but also to find everyday information and plan daily life.
Google has dominated online search for two decades and says it handles five trillion searches a year.
Some users have complained that Google's results are crowded with links designed to rank well in search, making useful information harder to find.
ChatGPT offers another way to get answers, helping it attract users, though AI can still give unreliable or false information.
ChatGPT has 1.2 billion weekly users, but the sources do not say how many use it to search.
OpenAI estimates that ChatGPT’s search-like queries have reached about one-fifth of Google’s search volume.
Adam Fry, ChatGPT’s consumer product lead, shared the estimate with Alex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology newsletter.
The articles describe ChatGPT as increasingly used to find everyday information and plan activities.
Business Insider says some users have turned to ChatGPT after becoming frustrated with Google search results.
Google says it handles 5 trillion searches per year, while ChatGPT has 1.2 billion weekly users, according to Business Insider.
- Who
- OpenAI and Google are central to the comparison. Adam Fry, ChatGPT’s consumer product lead, provided the estimate.
- What
- ChatGPT’s search-like query volume is estimated at about 20% of Google’s search volume.
- When
- The estimate was reported on November 3 and 4, 2026.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- ChatGPT is being used to find information, while some users have been frustrated with Google’s search results.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said Google had grown in queries as chatbots gained users.
A Pew Research Center report identified searching for information as the top use of AI among surveyed American adults.
Business Insider reported Adam Fry’s estimate that ChatGPT’s search-like query volume was roughly one-fifth of Google’s.
Chosun Ilbo reported that ChatGPT’s search-like questions had reached about 20% of Google’s search volume.
- ChatGPT query volume
- About one-fifth of Google’s
- Google annual searches
- 5 trillion
- ChatGPT weekly users
- 1.2 billion
- Pew survey respondents using AI to search for information
- 42% of American adults surveyed
- Published
- November 3, 2026 (Business Insider); November 4, 2026 (Chosun Ilbo)
2 sources
What people are saying
ChatGPT's volume of search-like queries is now roughly one-fifth the volume of queries of Google
So I think it feels very far from a zero-sum game to me.