ChatGPT Search, OpenAI’s feature within ChatGPT has experienced growth in Europe, according to a report by OpenAI Ireland Limited.

The tool, which integrates real-time web information into its responses, recorded an average of 41.3 million monthly active users for the six-month period ending March 31, 2025.

This is an increase from 11.2 million users in the previous six-month period ending October 31, 2024.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ EU regulatory thresholds create strategic challenges for growing AI platforms

ChatGPT search’s growth to 41.3 million monthly users places it close to being classified as a “very large online platform” under EU regulations, which occurs at 45 million users 1.

This threshold triggers stricter compliance requirements, including mandatory risk assessments, enhanced transparency reporting, and independent third-party audits to verify content moderation practices 2.

The Digital Services Act presents operational challenges for platforms nearing this threshold, with potential penalties reaching up to 6% of global turnover for non-compliance 1.

This regulatory environment creates a strategic challenge for OpenAI, as crossing the 45 million user threshold will require significant investment in compliance infrastructure at a time when the company is reportedly facing operational cost pressures 3.

The EU’s regulatory approach differs from those of the US and China, creating a complex global landscape where AI platforms must navigate varying regional requirements while competing on a global scale.

2️⃣ AI search faces persistent market and technical barriers despite growth

Despite ChatGPT search’s 269% growth in Europe, it remains far behind traditional search engines in overall market penetration and usage patterns 4.

Google continues to dominate the search landscape with approximately 139.9 billion visits compared to ChatGPT’s 4.7 billion, highlighting the entrenched strength of established search behaviors and infrastructure 4.

Even among AI chatbots, ChatGPT’s growth trajectory shows signs of slowing, suggesting the platform may be reaching natural limits in certain user segments before achieving mainstream search adoption 3.

This disparity points to the differing use cases between traditional and AI-powered search, with users often preferring conventional search methods for efficiency and reliability in many scenarios 4.