Three years ago, if someone needed to repair a leaky faucet or understand inflation, they typically did one in every of three things: They typed the query into Google, searched YouTube for a how-to video, or frantically called Alexa for help.
Today, tens of millions of individuals start with a distinct approach: they open ChatGPT and easily ask.
I’m a professor and director of research impact and AI strategy at Mississippi State University Libraries. As a scholar, the studies information gatheringI see this shift within the tool people first turn to to seek out information on the core of how ChatGPT has modified on a regular basis technology use.
Change in search
The biggest change isn't that other tools have disappeared. ChatGPT has change into the brand new front door to information. Within months of its launch on November 30, 2022, ChatGPT had 100 million weekly users. This number was reached by the top of 2025 increased to 800 million. This makes it probably the most widespread consumer technologies on the planet.
Surveys show that this usage shouldn’t be just out of curiosity but reflects an actual change in behavior. This was the results of a 2025 study by the Pew Research Center 34% of US adults have used ChatGPTabout double the proportion in 2023. Among adults under 30, a transparent majority (58%) have tried it. An AP-NORC poll found that about 60% of U.S. adults use AI say they’re using it to search for informationThis makes this essentially the most common AI use case. Among those under 30, the proportion rises to 74%.
Traditional search engines like google and yahoo are still the backbone of the net information ecosystem, but the character of search has measurably modified for the reason that entry of ChatGPT. People change the tools they reach for first.
for years, Google was the default for every thing from “How do I reset my router” to “Explain the debt ceiling.” These basic information queries accounted for a big portion of search traffic. But these quick, clarifying, on a regular basis “What does this mean?” questions are what ChatGPT now answers faster and clearer than a page stuffed with links.
And people noticed. A 2025 US consumer survey found that 55% of respondents now use OpenAI's ChatGPT or Google's Gemini AI chatbots for tasks that they’d have previously asked about via Google search to assist them achieve this, with even higher usage figures for the UK. Further evaluation of greater than 1 billion search sessions revealed that traffic comes from generative AI platforms grows 165 times faster than traditional search queriesand roughly 13 million adults within the U.S. have already made generative AI their preferred tool for online discovery.
That doesn't mean people have stopped “googling,” nevertheless it does mean that ChatGPT has unearthed the sorts of questions for which users need a direct explanation quite than an inventory of links. Curious a couple of policy update? Do you would like a definition? Do you should respond politely to an unpleasant email? ChatGPT is quicker, feels more conversational and clear.
At the identical time, Google shouldn’t be standing still. Search results look different than they did three years ago because Google began embedding its Gemini AI system right at the highest of the page. The “AI Overview” summaries displayed above traditional search links now answer many easy questions immediately – sometimes accurately, sometimes less so.
But either way, many individuals never scroll past this AI-generated snapshot. This fact, combined with the impact of ChatGPT, is why the variety of zero-click searches has skyrocketed. A report using Similarweb data found that Google's traffic to news sites has declined from over 2.3 billion visits in mid-2024 to under 1.7 billion in May 2025while the proportion of news-related searches that resulted in zero clicks rose from 56% to 69% in a 12 months.
Google search excels at pointing to a wide selection of sources and perspectives, but the outcomes can seem confusing and focused more on clicks than clarity. According to the contract, ChatGPT delivers a more targeted and conversational response that prioritizes explanation over rating. The ChatGPT answer may lack source transparency and multiple viewpoints often present in a Google search.
When it involves accuracy, each tools can occasionally make errors. Google's strength is that it allows users to cross-check multiple sources, while ChatGPT's accuracy depends heavily on the standard of the prompt and the user's ability to acknowledge when a solution needs to be checked elsewhere.
Smart speakers and YouTube
The impact of ChatGPT has reached far beyond search engines like google and yahoo. Voice assistants like Alexa speakers and Google Home proceed to see high engagement, however the number has fallen barely. A summary of voice search statistics from 2025 assumes this About 34% of individuals ages 12 and older own a wise speakerfrom 35% in 2023. This shouldn’t be a dramatic decline, but the dearth of growth could indicate a shift of more complex queries to ChatGPT or similar tools. When people need an in depth explanation, a step-by-step plan, or help composing something, a voice assistant who responds in a brief sentence suddenly feels limited.
In contrast, YouTube stays a large. This was the case from 2024 roughly 2.74 billion usersThis number has been increasing steadily since 2010. Among US teenagers are About 90% say they use YouTubeThis makes it essentially the most widely used platform on this age group. But what kind of videos individuals are on the lookout for is changing.
These days, people are likely to start with ChatGPT after which move on to YouTube after they need the extra information that an instructional video provides. For many on a regular basis tasks, reminiscent of “Explain my health advantages” or “Help me write a grievance email,” people ask ChatGPT for a summary, script, or checklist. They only go to YouTube in the event that they need to see a physical process.
An identical pattern can be seen in additional specific areas. For example, software developers have long relied on sites like Stack Overflow for suggestions and software code. But after the discharge of ChatGPT, the quantity of questions there fell sharply, an evaluation suggests Total traffic fell by about 50% between 2022 and 2024. If a chatbot can generate a code snippet and explanation on demand, fewer people will trouble typing a matter in a public forum.
Where does this lead us?
Three years later, ChatGPT hasn't replaced the remaining of the tech stack; It has been rearranged. The default search has shifted. Search engines are still for deep insights and sophisticated comparisons. YouTube remains to be about watching real people do real things. Smart speakers still serve to maintain your hands free.
But when someone needs to seek out out something, many now start with a chat conversation quite than a search box. That's the actual ChatGPT effect: It hasn't just added one other app to our phones – it's also quietly modified the way in which we seek for things.
