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AI is changing how people search, and the numbers are starting to show it.

According to Ahrefs, ChatGPT now handles around 12% of Google鈥檚 search volume, based on how many daily prompts are being used in ways that resemble traditional search behaviour. There’s no doubt about the fact that this is a huge milestone for a product that wasn鈥檛 originally positioned as a search engine at all.

But, while the headline figure sounds dramatic, the real story is more nuanced. Because although ChatGPT is absorbing more search-like activity, Google is still doing something ChatGPT can鈥檛 match at scale: sending traffic out to the open web.

And for publishers, startups and businesses that rely on visibility, clicks and conversions – that distinction matters.

ChatGPT Is Growing Fast, But It鈥檚 Not Quite 鈥淕oogle鈥� Yet

According to Ahrefs鈥� analysis, ChatGPT is now seeing roughly 2.5 billion prompts per day, compared to Google鈥檚 estimated 20+ billion searches daily.

That gap is still enormous, but what makes the shift really interesting is how quickly ChatGPT has climbed into search territory. People are increasingly using it for the same reasons they once relied exclusively on Google – that is, quick answers, product research, comparisons, recommendations, explanations and summaries.

In other words, it’s user behaviour that’s changed – search is no longer always a search bar. Sometimes, it鈥檚 a full-on conversation.

And that means AI isn鈥檛 just competing with Google, it鈥檚 reshaping the definition of what 鈥渟earch鈥� even is.

Search Volume Isn鈥檛 the Same as Website Traffic

Now, here鈥檚 where things get especially important (and interesting). According to Ahrefs, Google sends roughly 190 times more traffic to websites than ChatGPT does.

That鈥檚 a massive difference, and it highlights the key structural gap between the two platforms.

Google, on the one hand, is designed to route people outward. Even when it provides quick answers at the top of the page, the ecosystem still revolves around clickable links. Its role is to act as the middle layer between the user and the internet.

But ChatGPT, on the other hand, is designed to keep users inside the experience. It provides direct responses, summarises information and often satisfies curiosity without requiring a click at all. It makes things as easy as possible for users.

So, while ChatGPT might be handling more 鈥渟earch-like鈥� questions, it isn鈥檛 behaving like a traditional traffic engine. Rather, it鈥檚 behaving like a self-contained knowledge layer.

And, that鈥檚 why publishers are nervous. Because the internet economy is built on clicks, not just curiosity.

AI Search Is Creating a New Kind of Authority Altogether

This also ties into a broader shift that we鈥檝e already started seeing in the AI search world.聽In the past, we’ve explored how platforms like Wikipedia, Reddit and YouTube are increasingly dominating AI-driven search results, largely because AI systems treat them as credible 鈥渟ource environments鈥�. These are platforms with scale, structure, and user-generated trust signals.

What we鈥檙e seeing now is a continuation of that trend.聽AI doesn鈥檛 just rank websites the way Google does. It actually synthesises information and pulls from sources that feel consensus-driven, well-referenced and widely discussed.

That means that the future of digital visibility may not be about ranking first in Google anymore. It may be about becoming the kind of source AI tools repeatedly cite, reference or learn from.

For startups, that creates a new challenge – how do you become visible in a world where traffic doesn鈥檛 always flow outward? And there’s no easy answer.

So, Is ChatGPT a Threat to Google?

Not exactly.

Well, maybe not yet. The Ahrefs data suggests that ChatGPT is gaining share in the 鈥渟earch behaviour鈥� category, but Google still owns the most valuable part of the ecosystem: distribution.

Google remains the primary gateway between users and websites, and it鈥檚 still the engine that powers the web鈥檚 commercial model.

But, what ChatGPT is doing is slowly training people to expect something different: fewer links, more direct answers and a faster path to clarity.

That shift could eventually weaken Google鈥檚 grip – not because Google becomes obsolete, but because user expectations evolve. And sometimes, the human aspect is something people forget.

The Real Future of Search Is Probably Multi-Platform

The bigger takeaway here is that we鈥檙e entering a hybrid era. Google is still the web鈥檚 biggest traffic driver, and it will likely remain that way for a long time. But, at the same time, ChatGPT is becoming the place where people start their thinking process.

And that matters, because 鈥渨here people start鈥� often determines what (and who) they trust.

For startups, this means the game is expanding. Traditional SEO still matters, but so does building a presence that AI tools recognise as credible, quotable and worth referencing.

Google still controls the clicks, but AI is increasingly controlling the conversation.