Google's Gemini closes gap with ChatGPT as AI chatbot race intensifies and regulators circle

Gemini is rapidly closing in on ChatGPT when it comes to users -- here's why

Following the launch of Gemini 3, the Google-based AI app saw a huge increase in mobile app downloads. At the same time, its global website visits around that time roughly doubled. ChatGPT, on the other hand, saw just a 1% increase. Now, according to the analytics service Appnalyzer, Google Gemini has officially passed 1 billion downloads on the Google Store. These numbers show a rise in new users, but the same can be seen for monthly active users, with this number rising by roughly 30% to 346 million compared to ChatGPT's rise of 5% to 810 million. So, Gemini is the better service now? Not exactly. ChatGPT still remains more popular by numbers, and it is to be expected that a service as popular as ChatGPT will start to see growth slow down at a certain point. However, this is the first time its lead has been this small. For a long time, ChatGPT was so much bigger than its competitors that it wasn't even close. To see Gemini's numbers grow and close in at this rate will be concerning to ChatGPT. While Gemini is far and above its closest competitor, growth is being seen across the board, with the likes of Claude, Grok and Copilot also becoming more popular. From a glance, the picture looks clear. Gemini's app and website is growing and catching up with ChatGPT. However, zoom out again and Gemini's dominance grows further. ChatGPT is an isolated system. It is available via its website and app, and in a few other services where it is integrated. Gemini, however, has found its way into Google's services, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Worksuite and more. Even more noticeably, it now has its Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews. Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, said in July that more than 2 billion people see Google's AI-generated search answers (AI overviews) every month. Clearly, Google's growth has put the fear into OpenAI, with the company recently announcing a 'code red'. This is a period where Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has declared a clear focus on improving the core ChatGPT experience. That means putting all side projects to the side and making ChatGPT smart enough to keep up with Gemini 3. The result of this should be announced in the coming days, with rumors of GPT-5.2 floating around. This will be a minor, yet important update to ChatGPT, aiming to match the performance of its competitors. For OpenAI, they will be hoping it will be enough to hold Gemini off from its overtake.

Google's Gemini Rapidly Closes In on ChatGPT as Antitrust Scrutiny Mounts

Gemini's rapid rise is reshaping the chatbot race -- and drawing fresh regulatory scrutiny. Google's Gemini is in a hyper-growth phase and rapidly closing the gap with OpenAI's ChatGPT. Between August and November, Gemini's global monthly active users rose about 30 percent, roughly six times ChatGPT's growth, according to web and mobile app traffic data from Sensor Tower, first reported by The Information. The surge suggests that Google has reached an inflection point following the release of Gemini 3, its latest A.I. model, which outperforms GPT-5 on several key metrics. Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter Sign Up Thank you for signing up! By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime. See all of our newsletters Gemini is gaining ground across both web and mobile. Global web traffic to Gemini doubled during the August-November period, compared with a 1 percent increase for ChatGPT, Sensor Tower found. Mobile downloads of Gemini rose at about twice the rate of ChatGPT during that period. User engagement is also on the rise: Gemini users now spend around 11 minutes per day in the app, more than double the time logged in March. Sensor Tower estimates that twice as many U.S. Android users access Gemini through the operating system itself rather than the standalone app -- a built-in distribution channel that ChatGPT lacks, despite its integration into Apple's iOS. ChatGPT, however, remains the most widely used chatbot. Sam Altman said in October that ChatGPT had more than 800 million weekly users, a figure that has since grown to nearly 900 million, according to The Information, which cited a source familiar with the company's internal data. Google's Gemini 3 Pro model outperforms ChatGPT 5 Pro and the 5.1 "thinking" model in reasoning, multimodal comprehension and multiple benchmark tests. On Humanity's Last Exam -- a 2,500-question assessment spanning math, science, logic and history -- Gemini 3 Pro scored 37.5 percent accuracy versus ChatGPT's 26.5 percent. Third-party evaluations echo the trend: Vellum's agentic A.I. leaderboard ranks Gemini 3 Pro ahead of GPT-5.1 in reasoning and high-school math, based on GPQA Diamond and AIME 2025 benchmark results. But as Gemini rapidly expands its footprint, regulators are pressing Google on whether its advantage stems from technological innovation or from market power. Authorities are examining whether Google unfairly diverts traffic away from publishers and limits competitors' access to comparable data. Yesterday (Dec. 9), the European Commission opened a formal antitrust investigation into whether Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode misuse publisher content without compensation, thereby bolstering the company's market dominance. The inquiry follows a July complaint from the Independent Publishers Alliance, which argues Google's A.I. summaries siphon revenue from news outlets. The EU probe fits into a broader pattern of scrutiny under the Digital Markets Act, including earlier penalties tied to Android and Google's advertising practices.

Google Gemini gaining ground on ChatGPT in AI chatbot race By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Google's Gemini chatbot is making significant gains against market leader OpenAI's ChatGPT, according to new data from research firm Sensor Tower, cited by The Information on Tuesday. Gemini saw increased mobile app downloads in late November following version 3 release, while also doubling its global website visits between August and November. During this same period, ChatGPT's website traffic grew by just 1%. How will the AI race play out in 2026? See what Wall Street analysts think by upgrading to InvestingPro - get 55% off today Monthly active user figures show Gemini growing approximately 30% to 346 million users, while ChatGPT increased about 5% to 810 million. This competitive pressure was reportedly one of the key reasons that led OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to declare an internal "code red" last week, as reported by multiple media outlets. Google's AI reach extends beyond the Gemini app. Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated in July that over 2 billion people view Google's AI-generated search answers monthly, and in November reported that the Gemini app has more than 650 million monthly users. Additionally, Google Search's AI Mode has over 75 million daily active users globally. ChatGPT maintains the lead with nearly 900 million weekly active users according to The Information. Its top five markets by weekly active users are the United States, India, Brazil, Japan and France. Usage data also favors ChatGPT, with users spending approximately 17 minutes daily in the app last month (up 6% from March) across eight daily sessions. Gemini users averaged about 11 minutes daily (up 120% from March) across six sessions, not including voice assistant interactions on Android phones.