What was announced
OpenAI said the volume of search queries run through ChatGPT has reached 20 percent of the volume run through Google. The figure was shared by Adam Fry, OpenAI's consumer product lead for ChatGPT, at a press event on Monday.
How "search" is defined
According to Fry, OpenAI counts only queries that result in a web search, not tasks like defining a term or a simple how-to explanation. That definition matters for understanding what the number covers.
Limits of the figure
Fry did not specify the source of the Google search volume number. And having one-fifth as many searches as Google still leaves ChatGPT a long way from overtaking it.
Why it matters
Asking a chat assistant instead of "Googling it" is becoming more common. The figure is notable for showing how quickly competition in search is shifting.
