Microsoft’s integration of the chatbot ChatGPT with Bing has driven people to the previously little-used search engine, boosting page views and making it better able to compete with market leader Google, according to analytics firm Similarweb.
Data through March 20 of this year show that Bing page views are up 15.8 percent since Microsoft launched its AI version of Bing search on Feb. 7, while Google page views are down nearly 1 percent.
The data is an early sign that Microsoft is gaining ground in the fast-moving race with Google for generative AI dominance, thanks to the technology behind ChatGPT. ChatGPT has taken the world by storm since its launch, with many experts calling it AI’s “iPhone moment.” It also highlights a rare opportunity for Microsoft to tap into the more than $120 billion search market. Google has been the dominant player in the search market for decades, with a market share of more than 80 percent.
Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson & Co, said he expected Bing to grab search market share in the coming months, especially if Google continued to delay integrating generative AI into its products. “Bing’s market share is less than a tenth of Google’s, so even if it converts 1 or 2 percent of users, it will be a material benefit to Bing and Microsoft.” “Luria said. While the AI version of Bing has been available to most of the world’s users since February, Google only began publicly releasing its chatbot, Bard, on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Bing’s global app downloads have increased sevenfold since it integrated ai, according to Data from app research firm Data.AI. Downloads of Google’s search app fell 2% over the same period.
Still, some analysts believe it is possible for Google to overcome its early setbacks and stay ahead. Google became the dominant player in search in the early 2000s, displacing then-leader Yahoo. “Google’s ranking algorithm has a competitive advantage over competitors’,” Yongjei Jeong, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities in South Korea, said of how Google’s algorithm helped it beat Yahoo Search.