ChatGPT search is experiencing explosive growth across Europe, according to new data released by OpenAI.
OpenAI’s latest report reveals that ChatGPT search attracted around 41.3 million average monthly active users across the EU in the six-month period ending March 31, nearly quadrupling from 11.2 million just six months earlier. The rapid growth suggests ChatGPT’s search capabilities are not only catching user interest but also edging closer to the EU’s threshold for major platform regulation under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The DSA, which governs digital platforms across European countries, uses the term “monthly active recipients” to define the number of users who interact with a service. According to OpenAI’s filings, ChatGPT search is now one of the fastest-growing AI-powered search tools in the region, approaching the DSA’s 45-million-user mark that triggers stricter compliance requirements, including user profiling controls, transparency measures, and third-party audits.
Launched just last year, ChatGPT search has begun challenging traditional search engines like Google. A recent poll suggests that 8% of users are already willing to make ChatGPT their default search engine, signaling a slow but noteworthy shift in online search preferences. Despite this momentum, Google remains the undisputed heavyweight, currently processing around 373 times more searches than ChatGPT, according to industry estimates.
However, researchers are voicing caution about ChatGPT search’s reliability. Studies show that AI-driven search tools, including OpenAI’s system, sometimes struggle with accuracy. One report found that ChatGPT search misidentified 67% of academic articles, while another highlighted inconsistent results even for licensed content from news publishers.
As ChatGPT search continues its rapid expansion in Europe, OpenAI faces both a growing user base and rising scrutiny from regulators and researchers alike. Whether the AI-powered search engine can close the gap with tech giants like Google — while improving its reliability — remains one of the most closely watched developments in the world of search.
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