OpenAI says ChatGPT search volume is one-fifth of Google’s

OpenAI says the volume of search-like queries handled by ChatGPT is now roughly one-fifth of Google’s search volume. Adam Fry, the company’s consumer product lead for ChatGPT, disclosed the comparison at a press event reported by The Verge.

OpenAI defines a search query as a prompt that causes ChatGPT to search the web. That is not the same as claiming 20% search-market share: one person can send many prompts, and conventional search engines and chatbots package results differently. Fry also did not identify OpenAI’s source for Google’s query volume, and the company has not published data that would allow independent verification.

Even with those caveats, the claim is a meaningful signal. Google remains much larger, but ChatGPT appears to be redirecting a substantial amount of information-seeking behavior into conversational interfaces. That shift affects publishers, advertisers and businesses that depend on conventional search referrals.

OpenAI is also expanding visual and interactive answers and experimenting with advertising. If search-like usage continues to grow, ChatGPT could become both a discovery layer and a major commercial channel rather than only a general-purpose assistant.