According to data from Similarweb, the integration of OpenAI's technology into Microsoft-owned Bing has led people to the little-used search engine and helped it compete better with Google in page visits growth.
Since Microsoft Corp unveiled its artificial intelligence-powered version on February 7, page visits on Bing have gone up 15.8 per cent, compared with a 1 per cent decline for the Alphabet Inc-owned search engine, according to data from March 20.
The Windows maker has taken over the fast-moving race with Google for generative AI dominance thanks to the technology behind ChatGPT, the viral chatbot that many experts have called AI's iPhone moment, a rare opportunity for Microsoft to make inroads in the over US $120 billion search market, where Google has been the dominant player for decades with a share of more than 80 per cent.
Gil Luria, analyst at the DA Davidson Co, said he expects Bing to gain market share in search over the next few months, especially if Google continues to delay the integration of generative AI into its product.
Since February, Bing AI has been available to most users around the world, but Google has only released a public version of its chatbot Bard on Tuesday.
Bing has less than a tenth of Google's market share, so it will be beneficial for both Bing and Microsoft even if it converts 1 per cent or 2 per cent of users, according to Luria.
After AI integration, downloads for Bing have jumped eight times, according to app research firm Data.ai. The data shows that downloads for the Google search app fell 2 per cent in the same period.
Some analysts said that Google, which was unseated then leader Yahoo, could become the dominant search player and could overcome early setbacks to maintain its lead.
According to an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities in South Korea, Google's ranking algorithm can have a competitive edge over that of competitors Yongjei Jeong, who said that Google's algorithm helped it beat Yahoo Search.