In the past three years I have noticed how I and the people around me began changing our strategy on how to find the answer to our questions online. Instead of inserting only the key words of my actual question, for example “AI good or bad?” into the google search engine to then skim through the most promising websites, people began to paste the question into ChatGPT. A trend not only visible among my friends and me but among 58% of adults under 30 in America who also began using ChatGPT (Pew Research Center, 2025).
But why do people use ChatGPT more often?
ChatGPT offers lower search costs and conversational follow ups to its user. Instead constructing my answer on whether AI is good or bad through time consuming research by changing my search prompt and scanning websites, I receive a tailored and coherent answer tailored to the question I asked ChatGPT. A study performed by NN/G in 2025 has shown that users change their search behaviors to ChatGPT due to the substantial shortcuts in comparison to traditional search engines. ChatGPT introduces users to a digital-Q&A-interface where they can question the chatbot until they fully understand the answer to their question.
Will ChatGPT’s disruptive approach push away Google’s digital search ecosystem?
Probably not! While ChatGPT approach to satisfying users’ needs might fit better to people’s general information seeking habits, the chatbot bases many answers on information retrieved from websites and articles published on Google. Therefore making Google a vital part of ChatGPT’s.
Additionally, not every search prompt can be substituted by ChatGPT’s interactive Q&A interface. A study performed by Brightlocal in 2025 established that the majority of local specific searches are preferably done over either Google search engine or Google maps, while ChatGPT only accounts for a total of 2%.
Overall, ChatGPT’s approach to improve customers’ online research experience will probably continue to change users’ search habits from traditional website scanning on Google to the Q&A interface. Nevertheless, not every search prompt can be substituted by that, making people choose Google in local specific searches and ChatGPT in research for more general information.
References
Moran, K. (2025, August 15). How AI Is Changing Search Behaviors – NN/G. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved September 19, 2025, from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-changing-search-behaviors/
Paget, S. (2025, April 29). Consumer Search Behavior: Where Are Your Customers? Brightlocal. https://www.brightlocal.com/research/consumer-search-behavior/
Sidoti, O., & McClain, C. (2025, June 25). ChatGPT use among Americans roughly doubled since 2023. Pew Research Center. Retrieved September 19, 2025, from https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/25/34-of-us-adults-have-used-chatgpt-about-double-the-share-in-2023/
