Key Takeaways:
- While ChatGPT made many ask the question, “Will chatGPT replace Google?” its market share remains far below Google’s. Changing user habits and displacing a leader like Google is a gradual process that is unlikely to happen any time soon.
- Adding links in ChatGPT, allowing users to verify sources, may increase trust in the platform. While ChatGPT has been criticised for inaccuracies, this new feature could challenge Google’s long-held position as the most trusted source of information.
- Despite ChatGPT’s disruption, Google’s brand strength and user trust remain unmatched. With over 4.91 billion users globally, Google’s recent AI advancements, such as Veo2 and Imagin3, demonstrate its superior technology and strategic focus on integrating AI capabilities across platforms, keeping it ahead in the AI race.
The worry that ChatGPT will replace Google
ChatGPT just added links to its chatbot, directing users to a website to deep-dive into the information they just received. As a marketer, it is difficult to comprehend how most people walk around completely oblivious to what just happened. This is as big as Monica’s announcement that she was in a relationship with Chandler. Shocking, but true.
SEO experts have already been shivering with worry since the launch of ChatGPT. Many started asking the question, “Will ChatGPT replace Google? Today, they are by far the market leader in the AI chatbot space. But what will happen to website search traffic? In February 2024, Gartner predicted that search engine volume would drop 25% by 2026 due to AI Chatbots and other virtual agents.
While finding statistics on search engine website traffic is challenging, the numbers are likely more fear than reality. From November 2022 to November 2024, Google’s market share (MS) dropped from 92.2% to 90%, demonstrating its strong position.
Unfortunately, there is no reliable data regarding Gemini’s Market share (MS) compared to ChatGPT’s, but Statista surveyed users in the US market in 2024 compared to 2023. This showed that the use of Gemini increased from 13% to 27%, and ChatGPT’s increased from 26% to 31%.
These numbers don’t indicate that ChatGPT will overtake Google’s position anytime soon. Yet, the launch of links in ChatGPT has again shaken up the industry. In this article, we will explore what is happening and the likely consequences.
As the market leader in Chatbots, many wonder if ChatGPT will replace Google
OpenAI disrupted the market in November 2022 with the launch of ChatGPT. Many were shocked and impressed by its ability. Google, however, did not seem impressed as they expressed worry that the world wasn’t ready to transform into the AI age yet.
Google didn’t lack capabilities; it was just apprehensive. This led to them not being the first mover in this space, which is arguably why ChatGPT is still considerably bigger than Google AI Gemini. Whether it was a smart move or not remains to be seen. However, for now, Google appears to have the upper hand regarding user trust.
ChatGPT has been heavily criticised for its hallucinations, which affect its users’ trust. As it is built on public information on the Internet, considerable misinformation will be generated, and users need to check its accuracy. Yet, Google’s search engine is not a fact-checking tool either, as several challenges exist in its business model.
However, user perception leads to consumer behaviour. Therefore, in that regard, it is not who the most trustworthy source is that matters but who people believe it is. Until now, it has been Google, but with ChatGPT adding links, people can see for themselves where the information is coming from. This is likely to lead to an increase in trust.
However, ChatGPT’s free version doesn’t provide information after September 2021. As time passes, this will become an increasingly bigger issue. To get up-to-date information, users need to either pay or ChatGPT needs to change its business model so users can continue to use its free version without paying.
The issue around revenue management…
Today, you can get some free searches where ChatGPT provides information from their upgraded model with live data. However, this is limited and likely to change if this doesn’t lead to them earning enough income to sustain it.
One of the fastest-growing chatbots, Perplexity, has already started including ads in its chatbot. This was an expected change, as any business will eventually need to earn money. ChatGPT is likely to pay close attention to how this develops. If it works for Perplexity, they are likely to follow. Then, they lose the advantage of having a clean interface without ads distracting users. Their business model will then be more similar to Google’s.
Today, Google has separated its AI Gemini from its search engine, where “Google AI Overview” comes closest to what ChatGPT provides. However, you cannot chat with it as you can with ChatGPT, a considerable limitation that some people believe can lead to Google’s downfall.
However, this is a strategic decision Google has made, not due to the lack of capabilities.
Google is far ahead in winning the AI game making it unlikely that ChatGPT will replace Google
Google’s recent AI announcements stunned even experts in the industry. Their list was long, addressing impressive AI capabilities. Their text-to-video Veo2 is considerably more advanced than OpenAI’s SORA. While Sora kept hallucinating, making hurdlers run through the hurdles, Google’s Veo2 executed with elegance. This alone demonstrates Google’s capability and makes it unlikely that ChatGPT will replace Google.
Moreover, Google’s Imagin3 was ranked the tool that performed the highest quality image generation. Google further announced an advanced AI assistant, “Deep Research”, which searches across multiple websites and can generate a 10-page research paper for you and AI glasses with the built-in power from Gemini. Yet, it didn’t stop there. It also announced a built-in data analysis tool embedded in Gemini.
Do you still think Google is losing the AI game?
The strength of Google as a brand
There have been several incidents of big brands dropping off a cliff, what appears to be overnight. It is just that it didn’t happen overnight—not many things do. When Blockbuster went under, it wasn’t because there were no signs that Netflix would disrupt the industry. When Apple disrupted mobile phones, there were several signs that something massive was happening in the industry that Nokia could have reacted to.
The issue was that they didn’t. They kept on going, business as usual.
As Charles Darwin said:
It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest, but the one best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment.
Google is doing just that—adapting to its environments.
Whilst Open AI disrupted the market and ChatGPT now has over 300 million weekly users, they don’t even come close to Google. While specific weekly active user statistics for Google as a whole are not publicly disclosed, here are some insightful stats:
- As of 2024, 8.5 billion Google searches are made per day.
- Google processes approximately 99,000 searches per second.
- Approximately 4.91 billion people globally use Google
- 84% of Google users conduct at least three searches each day.
The fact that Google still holds this position more than two years after ChatGPT launched demonstrates how strong its brand really is.
It is unlikely that ChatGPT will replace Google anytime soon
Many markets feel Google has been replaced. This can happen when you belong to an ecosystem where “everybody” states that ChatGPT will be replaced by Google as other AI chatbots have become their new search engine. The reality is that user habits take a very long time to change. Just because your peer group is changing doesn’t mean everybody does.
Moreover, being a disrupter means being 100 times better than the company you disrupt. This is especially true if you are trying to disrupt big players. Building a strong brand takes years or decades, and smaller businesses must repeatedly prove they are worth the switch. How Google leads its business today is unlikely to lead to ChatGPT or any other AI chatbot taking over anytime soon.
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