ChatGPT loses traffic share as Google's Gemini, xAI's Grok gain ground: New report reveals changing AI landscape

The AI landscape is reportedly witnessing a major shift, with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which was once the clear leader in the space, showing signs of losing its grip on the market, according to a report by Similarweb, a website traffic tracking platform.

The data in the report suggests that rival AI platforms such as Google's Gemini and xAI's Grok are increasingly gaining traction, pointing to changing user preferences and intensifying competition in the fast-evolving artificial intelligence market.

What does the report say?

Just a year ago, ChatGPT held a majority 87.2% of all website traffic, leaving its competitors far behind. At that time, Google's Gemini claimed a mere 5.4% of the audience.

The rest of the companies, including platforms like Perplexity, Claud and Copilot, collectively held around 5% of the traffic share, the report shows.

However, by mid-year, the narrative began to change. As more users started exploring other options, ChatGPT's share slipped below 80% for the first time.

Interestingly, this period also saw the emergence of DeepSeek, which quickly captured over 5% traffic share, while Gemini began its steady climb toward double digits.

In January this year, DeepSeek released a low-cost, open-source AI model that costs a fraction of OpenAI’s o1 and other large language models that are used to train AI. This launch rattled US tech stocks and the global stock markets, tanking the value of chip maker Nvidia by as much as $593 billion overnight.

Shortly before that, Grok was launched in November 2023 as an alternative to existing chatbots. The arrival of Grok also added a new layer of competition.

What is the current scenario?

Today, the data shows an entirely different industry. While ChatGPT remains the market leader, its traffic share has reportedly fallen below the 70% mark, settling at 68% as of 5 December.

Gemini stands in the second position, now capturing a 20% share of the audience. Meanwhile, Grok continues to build momentum, nearly tripling its presence in just six months, according to the Similarweb report.

Latest advancements in chatbots

The AI race continues to heat up, with new players entering the market and existing platforms rapidly upgrading their offerings.

Just last month, the Elon Musk-led xAI launched its new Grok 4.1 model for all its users, claiming that the new model is exceptionally capable in creative, emotional and collaborative interactions and is more perceptive to nuanced intent, compelling to speak with and coherent in personality.

At the same time, ChatGPT also rolled out its new GPT 5.1 models, introducing two upgraded versions for users: GPT-5.1 Instant and GPT-5.1 Thinking. According to OpenAI, these models are designed to make it easier for a user to personalise their ChatGPT experience by adjusting the AI's tone and style.

Another advancement in chatbots was seen in Gemini with its Nano Banana feature, which took the internet by storm and emerged as an unexpected viral trend online.