OpenAI says ChatGPT search hits a fifth of Google’s volume

OpenAI says ChatGPT now handles about one-fifth as many search-style queries as Google Alphabet Inc. ↗ 0.08%, and that 250 million people use its voice features every week. ChatGPT consumer product lead Adam Fry shared the figures at a fireside chat during an OpenAI-hosted dinner in New York City on Monday night, November 2, according to Big Technology's Alex Kantrowitz.bigtechnology.com

The numbers are OpenAI's own and have not been independently verified, as Crypto Briefing noted. They arrive as advertisers start to rethink how much they spend on Google search.cryptobriefing.com

How OpenAI counts a search

"ChatGPT's volume of search-like queries is now roughly one-fifth the volume of queries of Google," Fry said, per Big Technology. He said any question that sends ChatGPT to search the web counts as a search, including lookups about people, places, finance and health that need current information. Fry also said ChatGPT went from 1 billion to 1.2 billion weekly active users in the past two months.bigtechnology.com

Outside estimates are much lower when they count only search-like activity. Figures range from 7.5%, from seoClarity in October 2026, to about 12%, from Ahrefs in February 2026, Crypto Briefing reported. Most of that gap comes down to what counts as a search.cryptobriefing.com

Voice reaches a fifth of users

Fry said voice input, which includes both dictation and spoken conversations, now has 250 million combined weekly active users, Big Technology reported. That is about one in five ChatGPT users. OpenAI's previous public figure was more than 150 million weekly voice and dictation users as of July 8, 2026, according to Crypto Briefing.cryptobriefing.com+1

Fry credited OpenAI's GPT Live 1 and 1.1 models, which let users interrupt and handle natural back-and-forth speech. He also pointed to a background mode that keeps a conversation going after the app is closed. He admitted OpenAI "can do a better job" of helping people find the feature. He also said users create 1.5 billion images a week, and that the company plans to merge ChatGPT's separate Chat and Work modes into one interface "coming soon."

Pressure on search budgets

The claims come as media buyers say 10% to 30% of Google search budgets are facing new scrutiny, PPC Land reported, citing Digiday. "We definitely see advertisers looking at other options to invest budgets in, especially ChatGPT," Accuracast chief executive Farhad Divecha said.ppc.land

Fry said ChatGPT's ad business passed $1 billion in annual recurring revenue within 200 days, and that subscriptions have grown well beyond the 50 million the company announced earlier, per Big Technology. Even so, Crypto Briefing summed up the situation this way: for now, "ChatGPT has the volume and Google has the traffic."cryptobriefing.com+1