The ChatGPT effect: In 3 years the AI chatbot has changed the way people look things up
**The Shift in Information Retrieval: How ChatGPT Redefined Our Search Habits**
In just three short years, ChatGPT has emerged as the dominant tool for information retrieval, fundamentally altering how individuals seek answers to their everyday questions. Prior to its introduction on November 30, 2022, users primarily relied on traditional search engines like Google, YouTube, or voice assistants such as Alexa for guidance on diverse topics, from fixing a leaky faucet to understanding complex economic concepts. However, the landscape of information-seeking behavior has shifted dramatically, with millions now turning to ChatGPT as their first point of contact for inquiries. By early 2025, the app boasted an astonishing 800 million users, making it one of the most widely utilized consumer technologies globally. A Pew Research Center study revealed that 34% of U.S. adults had engaged with ChatGPT, a significant increase from previous years, with even higher adoption rates among younger demographics.
What sets ChatGPT apart is its ability to provide direct, conversational answers rather than a list of links, which has led to a notable decline in traditional search engine usage for simple queries. A survey indicated that 55% of respondents now prefer using AI chatbots like ChatGPT for tasks they previously would have directed to Google. This shift is particularly pronounced among younger users, with 74% of individuals under 30 favoring AI for information searches. The trend is underscored by a striking 165-fold increase in traffic from generative AI platforms compared to conventional search methods. While search engines remain vital for in-depth exploration, many users now begin with ChatGPT for straightforward questions that demand quick, clear answers.
Moreover, the impact of ChatGPT extends beyond search engines, influencing the use of smart speakers and video platforms. While ownership of voice assistants has plateaued, indicating a potential shift toward more complex queries, YouTube continues to thrive, boasting approximately 2.74 billion users. However, users increasingly start their inquiries with ChatGPT, seeking concise summaries or scripts before turning to YouTube for visual aids. This change is also reflected in specialized fields, such as software engineering, where traffic to coding forums like Stack Overflow has reportedly decreased by about 50% since ChatGPT’s debut. Ultimately, while ChatGPT has not replaced existing technologies, it has restructured the way people approach information retrieval, emphasizing the importance of conversational interfaces in our digital landscape. As we move forward, the real “ChatGPT effect” lies in its ability to transform our initial search behavior, making chat-based inquiries the new norm in an increasingly complex information ecosystem.
ChatGPT has become the go-to app for hundreds of millions of people.
AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato
Three years ago, if someone needed to fix a leaky faucet or understand inflation, they usually did one of three things: typed the question into Google, searched YouTube for a how-to video or shouted desperately at Alexa for help.
Today, millions of people start with a different approach: They open ChatGPT and just ask.
I’m a professor and director of research impact and AI strategy at Mississippi State University Libraries. As a scholar who
studies information retrieval
, I see that this shift of the tool people reach for first for finding information is at the heart of how ChatGPT has changed everyday technology use.
Change in searching
The biggest change isn’t that other tools have vanished. It’s that ChatGPT has become the new front door to information. Within months of its introduction on Nov. 30, 2022, ChatGPT had 100 million weekly users. By late 2025, that figure had
grown to 800 million
. That makes it one of the most widely used consumer technologies on the planet.
Surveys show that this use isn’t just curiosity – it reflects a real change in behavior. A 2025 Pew Research Center study found that
34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT
, roughly double the share found in 2023. Among adults under 30, a clear majority (58%) have tried it. An AP-NORC poll reports that about 60% of U.S. adults who use AI
say they use it to search for information
, making this the most common AI use case. The number rises to 74% for the under-30 crowd.
Traditional search engines are still the backbone of the online information ecosystem, but the kind of searching people do has shifted in measurable ways since ChatGPT entered the scene. People are changing which tool they reach for first.
For years,
Google was the default
for everything from “how to reset my router” to “explain the debt ceiling.” These basic informational queries made up a huge portion of search traffic. But these quick, clarifying, everyday “what does this mean” questions are the ones ChatGPT now answers faster and more cleanly than a page of links.
And people have noticed. A 2025 U.S. consumer survey found that 55% of respondents now use OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini AI chatbots
about tasks they previously would have asked Google search
to help them with, with even higher usage figures for the U.K. Another analysis of more than 1 billion search sessions found that traffic from generative AI platforms is
growing 165 times faster than traditional searches
, and about 13 million U.S. adults have already made generative AI their go-to tool for online discovery.
This doesn’t mean people have stopped “Googling,” but it means ChatGPT has peeled off the kinds of questions for which users want a direct explanation instead of a list of links. Curious about a policy update? Need a definition? Want a polite way to respond to an uncomfortable email? ChatGPT is faster, feels more conversational and feels more definitive.
At the same time, Google isn’t standing still. Its search results look different than they did three years ago because Google started weaving its AI system Gemini directly into the top of the page. The “AI Overview” summaries that appear above traditional search links now instantly answer many simple questions – sometimes accurately, sometimes less so.
But either way, many people never scroll past that AI-generated snapshot. This fact combined with the impact of ChatGPT are the reasons the number of “zero-click” searches has surged. One report using Similarweb data found that traffic from Google to news sites fell from over 2.3 billion visits in mid-2024
to under 1.7 billion in May 2025
, while the share of news-related searches ending in zero clicks jumped from 56% to 69% in one year.
Google search excels at pointing to a wide range of sources and perspectives, but the results can feel cluttered and designed more for clicks than clarity. ChatGPT, by contract, delivers a more focused and conversational response that prioritizes explanation over ranking. The ChatGPT response can lack the source transparency and multiple viewpoints often found in a Google search.
In terms of accuracy, both tools can occasionally get it wrong. Google’s strength lies in letting users cross-check multiple sources, while ChatGPT’s accuracy depends heavily on the quality of the prompt and the
user’s ability to recognize when a response should be verified elsewhere
.
OpenAI is aiming to make it even more appealing to turn to ChatPGT first for search by trying to get people to use a browser with ChatGPT built in.
Smart speakers and YouTube
The impact of ChatGPT has reverberated beyond search engines. Voice assistants, such as Alexa speakers and Google Home, continue to report high ownership, but that number is down slightly. One 2025 summary of voice-search statistics estimates that
about 34% of people ages 12 and up own a smart speaker
, down from 35% in 2023. This is not a dramatic decline, but the lack of growth may indicate a shift of more complex queries to ChatGPT or similar tools. When people want a detailed explanation, a step-by-step plan or help drafting something, a voice assistant that answers in a short sentence suddenly feels limited.
By contrast, YouTube remains a giant. As of 2024, it had
approximately 2.74 billion users
, with that number increasing steadily since 2010. Among U.S. teens,
about 90% say they use YouTube
, making it the most widely used platform in that age group. But what kind of videos people are looking for is changing.
People now tend to start with ChatGPT and then move to YouTube if they need the additional information a how-to video conveys. For many everyday tasks, such as “explain my health benefits” or “help me write a complaint email,” people ask ChatGPT for a summary, script or checklist. They head to YouTube only if they need to see a physical process.
You can see a similar pattern in more specialized spaces. Software engineers, for instance, have long relied on sites such as Stack Overflow for tips and pieces of software code. But question volume there began dropping sharply after ChatGPT’s release, and one analysis suggests
overall traffic fell by about 50% between 2022 and 2024
. When a chatbot can generate a code snippet and an explanation on demand, fewer people bother typing a question into a public forum.
So where does that leave us?
Three years in, ChatGPT hasn’t replaced the rest of the tech stack; it’s reordered it. The default search has shifted. Search engines are still for deep dives and complex comparisons. YouTube is still for seeing real people do real things. Smart speakers are still for hands-free convenience.
But when people need to figure something out, many now start with a chat conversation, not a search box. That’s the real ChatGPT effect: It didn’t just add another app to our phones – it quietly changed how we look things up in the first place.
Deborah Lee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
