OpenAI consumer product lead Adam Frye said at a media event on Monday that ChatGPT handles search queries equal to 20% of Google’s search volume. According to ChainCatcher, citing Phoenix Net Tech’s report on The Verge, Frye defined a search as a user query that triggers a web search, excluding tasks such as defining terms or providing simple instructions; he did not disclose the source of the Google volume figure.

For comparison, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during Google’s 2023 antitrust trial that Bing held about 3% of the search engine market. The report said OpenAI’s search likely relies heavily on Microsoft Bing while also using its own search index. Frye described OpenAI’s “Intelligent UI” as creating visual, interactive interfaces within chatbot responses and said this is a direction for the technology’s future.

Frye also said advertising had not negatively affected the product or its use, and that most people did not seem to mind ads. Last month, OpenAI announced plans to show images of sponsored goods and services in ChatGPT, in addition to the company names, logos, and product links it had previously displayed. The report noted that the discussion comes as the company could launch an IPO early next year.