Microsoft Corp.’s integration of ChatGPT, a chatbot, into Bing search has driven people to the previously little-used search engine, boosting its page views and putting it in a better position to compete with market leader Google, according to analyst firm Similarweb.
Data as of March 20 of this year shows that since Microsoft launched its artificially intelligent version of Bing Search on February 7, Bing’s page views have risen 15.8 percent, while Google’s page views have fallen by nearly 1 percent.
16% increase in Bing page visits
These numbers are an early indication that Microsoft is taking the lead in the rapid race against Google for generative AI dominance, thanks to the technology behind ChatGPT, which has taken the world by storm since its launch and has been called the “iPhone moment” of AI by many experts. It also highlights a unique opportunity for Microsoft to enter the more than $120 billion search market. For decades, Google has dominated the search market with over 80% market share.
Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson & Co, said he expects Bing to capture search market share in the coming months, especially if Google continues to delay integrating generative artificial intelligence into its products. “Bing has less than one-tenth of Google’s market share, so even if it converts 1 percent or 2 percent of users, it will be a material benefit to Bing and Microsoft,” Luria said. Luria said. Although the artificial intelligence version of Bing has been available to most users around the world since February, Google did not start publicly releasing its chatbot “Bard” (Bard) until Tuesday.
Bing app downloads up 7x
Meanwhile, Bing’s global app downloads have also increased sevenfold after the integration of artificial intelligence, according to application research firm Data.ai. Google search app downloads fell 2 percent over the same period.
Still, some analysts believe Google is likely to overcome its early setbacks to maintain its leadership position. Google replaced then-leader Yahoo at the turn of the century as the dominant player in search. “Google’s ranking algorithm has a competitive advantage over its competitors’,” said Yongjei Jeong, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities in South Korea, on how Google’s algorithm helped it beat Yahoo Search.
