OpenAI says ChatGPT search queries reach 20 percent of Google

OpenAI announced on Monday that the volume of search-like queries processed through ChatGPT has reached approximately 20 percent of the volume handled by Google. The figures were shared by Adam Fry, the company's consumer product lead for ChatGPT, during a press event held in New York on Nov. 2, 2026.

According to OpenAI, these search-like queries are defined as instances where a user asks a question that triggers a web search, excluding simple explanations or how-to requests that do not require external retrieval. These internal estimates have not been independently verified.

Adam Fry stated that every time a user asks a question that results in a web search, it is categorized as a search. He noted that the current volume of these queries on the platform is roughly one-fifth of the total volume seen on Google.

The announcement follows a period of growth for the platform, which reached 1.2 billion weekly active users as of November 2026, an increase of 200 million users over the previous 60 days. While Google maintains a dominant share of the global search market, OpenAI data positions ChatGPT as a significant challenger, reportedly surpassing the search volume of Microsoft’s Bing.

OpenAI plans to integrate its chat and work functions into a single system that will automatically determine the appropriate mode based on user requests. The tool has increasingly been used for daily information retrieval, including finance, health, and travel planning, moving beyond its traditional use in coding and writing.