Mountain View, California: Google AI search faces pressure from two sides as users move toward AI chatbots while others seek search tools that limit AI-generated answers.
CNBC Sensor Tower estimates show that ChatGPT had passed 1 billion monthly active users in May 2026. ChatGPT ranked as the top free app on Apple’s iOS, while Anthropic’s Claude ranked eighth and Google’s Gemini sat one spot ahead.
The shift has created a split user trend for Google. Some users prefer AI chatbots for conversational answers, while others object to AI Overviews and AI Mode appearing in traditional search results.
DuckDuckGo has benefited from the second group by promoting “no-AI” search tools and browser extensions. Business Insider reported that DuckDuckGo’s US installs rose 20.8pc week over week after Google’s May 19 AI search overhaul.
A 2026 arXiv study found Google AI Overviews appeared on 13.7pc of 55,393 sampled trending queries from March 13 to April 21. The study said activation rose to 64.7pc for question-form queries.
.@PeopleIncco CEO Neil Vogel says publishers can block most AI crawlers — but not Google's, calling it “an incredible abuse of market power.”
"We can't actually block Google, because Google uses the same crawler for search as they do for AI."#AxiosHouse pic.twitter.com/ZApvtVZ9Dx
— Axios (@axios) June 23, 2026Publishers also face pressure from changing search behaviour. It cited research indicating that about 68pc of Google searches do not include a click to an external website.
Read: DuckDuckGo App Installs Jump After Google AI Search Push
Google still holds about 90pc of the search market. Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai has said people are “rightfully” anxious about the scale of AI-related change.
