Generative AI Visits Surge 76% as Older Users Adopt Tech

Global monthly visits to generative AI platforms have surpassed 7 billion, marking a 76% year-over-year increase, according to an annual AI report from digital data company Similarweb. Mobile app downloads for these platforms also tripled within a year, reaching 1.9 billion.

The report highlights a shift in the user demographic, with the proportion of 18-34 year olds, previously the largest user group, decreasing by approximately 15%. This indicates a broader adoption of AI tools by older users.

Shifting Landscape of AI Adoption

Similarweb's "2025 Generative AI Landscape Report," based on extensive visit data, details the transition of generative AI from a technological breakthrough to a foundational digital utility.

Key observations from the report include:

Evolving Entry Points: ChatGPT has entered the top five global websites, but 95% of its users continue to use traditional search engines like Google simultaneously, creating a "dual entry point" for information access.
Broadening User Base: The user demographic for generative AI has expanded beyond students and programmers to encompass a wider internet population, from academic settings to workplaces, and across different age groups.
Changing Business Models: The commercial dynamics of the internet are being redefined. AI-driven recommendation traffic exhibits a conversion rate 2 percentage points higher than Google, suggesting a move from "being searched and retrieved" to "being discussed by AI."

Generative AI has evolved from a niche technology to an integral part of daily online behavior, reshaping how individuals search, learn, and create. Monthly web-based generative AI visits increased by 76%, with unique visitors up 58%. Mobile app activity saw a 319% surge in downloads and a sevenfold increase in usage time, indicating a new phase characterized by more persistent interaction and personalized experiences.

ChatGPT's Rise and Competitive Dynamics

ChatGPT has rapidly ascended the internet traffic rankings, moving from minimal traffic in 2022 to a position among the global top five websites by the end of 2025. It now competes directly with established platforms such as Google Search, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. This growth signifies a redefinition of "top websites," shifting focus from content sharing and information searching to content creation and problem-solving.

Users engage with ChatGPT for specific purposes, including finding answers, brainstorming, improving efficiency, and resolving work and life-related issues. This trend reflects a deeper change in user behavior, where AI is becoming a primary entry point for information and problem-solving, moving online interactions from passive browsing to active AI engagement.

While ChatGPT holds a dominant market share, accounting for nearly 80% of global visits, new competitors are emerging. Google is integrating Gemini into its Search and Workspace products. DeepSeek emphasizes cost-effectiveness and open-source solutions, while Claude focuses on reasoning capabilities. Perplexity positions itself as a conversational search engine with a focus on privacy.

The generative AI application ecosystem is developing along two tracks: mainstream tools like ChatGPT with broad user bases, and niche products catering to specific needs, such as those for developers, finance, or privacy. Despite smaller user bases, platforms like Claude and Grok show high daily active shares (14% and 16% respectively on US iOS and Android platforms between October 2024 and September 2025), indicating strong user loyalty within their segments.

AI Integration and the Evolving Search Paradigm

As generative AI adoption spreads, its usage scenarios are diversifying. Older users are leveraging AI for tasks like email management and research, while students and professionals use it for academic and career-related assistance. AI is no longer a standalone application but is becoming an embedded layer within the digital experience.

New AI browsers, such as Perplexity's Comet and OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas, are changing how users interact with the internet, enabling direct questions about webpage content or requests for summaries and email replies. ChatGPT is also expanding its functionality through integrations with services like PayPal and Spotify, allowing users to complete payments or generate playlists directly within the app.

A key finding is that 95% of ChatGPT users also utilize Google, suggesting a complementary relationship rather than direct competition. Users typically turn to Google for specific website searches, product information, or news, while using ChatGPT for explanations, summaries, writing assistance, or brainstorming.

The average query length for Google Search is 3-4 words, whereas ChatGPT prompts average nearly 60 words, indicating a shift from keyword-based searches to more detailed, conversational interactions.

Google Search's "AI Mode" is further blurring the lines between traditional search and conversational AI. Launched in the US and expanded globally, this feature quickly surpassed 100 million visits. While many users are in an experimental phase, about 10% have become regular users, forming a core group of early adopters.

Visibility and the Future of Digital Interaction

For brands and content creators, the shift presents both challenges and opportunities. While overall traffic for many brands may be declining, the quality of traffic from AI search is improving, characterized by longer dwell times, deeper engagement, and higher conversion rates. The new metric for success is "visibility"—whether a brand or content is mentioned when users ask AI a question.

To achieve this visibility, content needs to be credible, clearly structured for machine understanding, and sufficiently deep to support comprehensive AI answers. News media and publisher websites are frequently cited sources, followed by review sites and user-generated content platforms.

In AI Mode, the average outbound referral rate is 2%, significantly lower than traditional Google Search's 17-19%. This suggests AI Mode aims to retain more interactions within its own answers. However, when users do click through from AI answers, they typically have a clear purpose, leading to higher conversion rates.

Referrals from generative AI platforms have seen explosive growth followed by a plateau, indicating that future clicks from AI will be a scarce resource. Brands will increasingly compete to be actively mentioned by AI in response to user queries.

The report suggests that future internet users may bypass traditional search bars and begin their online journeys directly with AI agents. This will further blur the boundaries between platforms and applications, emphasizing the importance of underlying AI capabilities, model management, data handling, and ecosystem development. The digital world is being reshaped around intent, interaction, and intelligence, with generative AI serving as a new central hub for online activity.