March 14, 2026 — Worldwide — A new Graphite.io study titled “AI Is Much Bigger Than You Think” reveals that AI assistants dominate global search, powering 45 billion monthly sessions worldwide, equivalent to 56% of global search engine volume, and 5.4 billion sessions in the US at 34% share.
The report, part of Graphite.io’s “Five Percent” research series and authored by CEO Ethan Smith, analyzes data from top five large language models — ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, and Claude — compared to major search engines. Released around March 9, 2026, it adjusts Similarweb web and app session data to account for mobile dominance, previously underestimated by 4-5x in web-only analyses.
“AI is much bigger than I thought… The growth of AI is incremental to search. The pie is getting much bigger.”
Smith stated in the study.
Key Findings
AI Assistants Dominate Global Search: New Graphite.io Study Reveals 56% Worldwide Share, with ChatGPT holding 89% of global AI sessions (86% in the US) and representing 20% of worldwide search-related traffic alone. Search-like “asking” prompts comprise 28% of global search volume (17% in the US), based on adjustments using OpenAI data categorizing prompts as asking (52%), doing (35%), or expressing (14%).
Total search plus AI activity grew 26% globally and 16% in the US since 2023, countering narratives of search decline. Google’s global search share fell from 89% in 2023 to 71% in Q4 2025, but overall usage expanded.
Mobile apps drive 83% of global AI usage (75% in the US), with worldwide AI sessions 7x larger than in the US. US AI grew 300% from December 2024 to December 2025, while global growth plateaued post-July 2025.
Industry Coverage
Search Engine Land on March 9 reported the 56% global and 34% US shares, emphasizing combined web and app data and the need for both SEO and generative engine optimization (GEO). Ignite Visibility on March 13 headlined AI Assistants Dominate Global Search: New Graphite.io Study Reveals 56% Worldwide Share, highlighting ChatGPT’s lead and calling for AI-optimized SEO strategies.
Other outlets including Innermedia, Performance Marketing World, and ALM Corp echoed the stats, noting faster-than-expected growth.
Social Media Reaction
On X, Ethan Smith (@ethan_graphite) shared the study, reiterating AI Assistants Dominate Global Search: New Graphite.io Study Reveals 56% Worldwide Share trends. Discussions highlighted shifting AI market shares, with ChatGPT at 61.7% and Gemini rising to 24.4%, alongside calls for answer engine optimization (AEO).
The findings underscore AI’s additive role in search ecosystems. For related SEO insights, explore SEO Spyglass posts.