ChatGPT reached 1 billion monthly active users, becoming the fastest application in history to reach that milestone, according to market research firm Sensor Tower.
Sensor Tower said OpenAI’s chatbot reached the mark roughly 3.5 years after its November 2022 launch. The metric covers monthly active app users and excludes total web users.
Google Maps, the previous record holder, took about five years to reach 1 billion users, according to the same report. TechSpot also reported Sensor Tower’s estimate and the Google Maps comparison.
ChatGPT remains the market leader by total app users, but rivals posted faster growth rates. Sensor Tower reported ChatGPT grew 62% year over year, while Anthropic’s Claude rose 640% and Meta AI climbed 973%.
Senior insights analyst Abe Yousef told CNBC that stronger AI models and positive market sentiment helped drive rival chatbot growth.
The milestone came after backlash over OpenAI’s Pentagon deal. Sensor Tower said the US ChatGPT mobile app uninstalls jumped 295% day over day on February 28, after users responded to OpenAI’s Department of Defence agreement.
Read: ChatGPT Overhaul To Push OpenAI Toward Superapp
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman later promised additional safeguards against surveillance of US citizens. It also said Anthropic’s Claude briefly became the top free app on the US App Store during the fallout.
The adoption surge comes amid public concern over AI infrastructure. Recent surveys showed that about 70% of Americans opposed new AI data centres, while OpenAI said Chinese-linked accounts tried to spread anti-data-centre messages in the US.
