Rising Popularity of ChatGPT in Europe
The search function of ChatGPT, which provides the chatbot access to up-to-date information online, is showing remarkable growth in Europe. According to a report from OpenAI Ireland Limited, the average number of active users of this feature reached 41.3 million per month in the six months leading up to March 31, 2025. In comparison, this figure was only 11.2 million in the previous half-year. This information was reported by TechCrunch.
OpenAI shares this statistic in accordance with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates the activities of major online platforms in Europe. Under this law, services with over 45 million active users monthly must allow opting out of recommendation algorithms, provide access to certain data for researchers and authorities, and undergo external audits. If the current growth rates persist, ChatGPT Search could fall under these requirements.
Violating the DSA rules could result in fines of up to 6% of the company's global turnover or even a temporary ban on operating within the EU.
Despite its rapid growth, ChatGPT Search is still far from being a market leader—Google. Estimates suggest that the volume of search queries in Google far surpasses those of ChatGPT by hundreds of times. A survey indicated that only 8% of users are willing to adopt ChatGPT as their primary search engine.
Additionally, ChatGPT Search has its drawbacks—especially in terms of accuracy. Research shows that it frequently makes mistakes when searching for articles or processing news, even when it has access to licensed sources.