In a groundbreaking announcement, OpenAI revealed that its ChatGPT platform has seen an unprecedented surge in usage, with over 1 billion web searches conducted in just the past week.
This milestone, shared via a post on X on April 28, 2025, underscores the growing popularity of ChatGPT’s search capabilities. Alongside this achievement, OpenAI introduced an enhanced product search feature, signaling its ambition to redefine how users discover and purchase goods online. Let’s dive into what this means for the future of AI-driven search and e-commerce.
A Billion Searches and Counting: ChatGPT’s Search Boom
OpenAI’s post highlighted that web search has become one of ChatGPT’s most popular and fastest-growing features. The 1 billion searches in a single week — a figure shared on April 28, 2025 — reflect a seismic shift in how users are interacting with AI tools.
Unlike traditional search engines, ChatGPT offers a conversational, natural language-based approach that allows users to ask complex, nuanced questions and receive tailored responses. This milestone is a testament to the platform’s ability to meet diverse user needs, from researching topics to seeking real-time information like live sports scores, as noted in a follow-up post in the same thread.
The surge in search usage aligns with OpenAI’s broader goal of reaching 1 billion users by the end of 2025, as reported by Exploding Topics (April 23, 2025).
With 400 million weekly users already, according to OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap, ChatGPT is well on its way to becoming a dominant player in the search landscape.
The platform’s global reach is evident, with the U.S. leading at 14.78% of users, followed by India at 8.85%, per Exploding Topics.
This international adoption, combined with ChatGPT’s ranking as the 8th most visited website worldwide (Semrush, February 2025), positions it as a formidable challenger to traditional search giants like Google, which still commands a 90% market share despite ChatGPT’s rapid growth.
Enhanced Product Search: A Game-Changer for E-Commerce
Alongside the search milestone, OpenAI announced a significant upgrade to ChatGPT’s capabilities: an enhanced product search feature aimed at transforming the online shopping experience. This new functionality, which began rolling out on April 28, 2025, allows users to find, compare, and purchase products directly within the ChatGPT interface.
OpenAI detailed the feature in a thread on X, emphasizing improved product results, visual product details, pricing, reviews, and direct links to buy — all without ads.
The product search feature, powered by the GPT-4o model, is designed to be intuitive and personalized. Users can ask specific questions like “best 4K monitor under $500” and receive scrollable product cards with images, star ratings, pricing, and review summaries, as reported by MacRumors (April 29, 2025).
Tapping on a product provides more details and a direct link to the retailer’s website for purchase. OpenAI stressed that these results are independently chosen and free from advertising or affiliate influence, a stark contrast to traditional search engines where sponsored listings often dominate.
TechCrunch (April 28, 2025) noted that OpenAI is initially focusing on categories like fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics, with plans to expand further.
The company also teased future integration of its memory feature for Pro and Plus users, which will allow ChatGPT to reference past conversations to deliver highly personalized product recommendations.
For example, if a user previously mentioned preferring black clothing from a specific retailer, ChatGPT could factor that into future suggestions, according to WIRED (April 28, 2025).
Challenging the Status Quo: OpenAI vs. Google
OpenAI’s foray into enhanced product search positions it as a direct competitor to Google, which has long dominated both search and online shopping experiences.
Google Shopping often includes paid placements, a practice OpenAI explicitly avoids with its ad-free model. Adam Fry, ChatGPT’s search product lead, emphasized to WIRED that the product recommendations are organic, based on structured metadata like pricing, descriptions, and reviews from third-party sources.
This approach aims to build trust with users by prioritizing authenticity over commercial influence.
However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hinted at potential future monetization in an interview with Stratechery’s Ben Thompson, as cited by TechCrunch.
While Altman has historically opposed ads in ChatGPT, he expressed openness to “tasteful” affiliate fees for purchases made through the platform, provided there’s no priority placement in results.
This shift could eventually align ChatGPT’s business model more closely with e-commerce trends, though for now, the focus remains on user experience.
The broader implications for online publishers are significant. As WIRED pointed out, if ChatGPT recommends a product based on a publisher’s review (like WIRED’s office chair buying guide), the affiliate revenue model that supports journalism could be disrupted. OpenAI has yet to clarify how affiliate revenue will work in this new ecosystem, raising questions about the sustainability of content creation in an AI-driven search landscape.
What’s Next for ChatGPT and Its Users?
The billion-search milestone and the enhanced product search feature are just the beginning of OpenAI’s ambitions. The company also introduced other updates in the same announcement thread, including search integration with WhatsApp (via a dedicated number, 1-800-ChatGPT), improved citations with a new “highlight” UI, and trending searches with autocomplete suggestions. These enhancements make ChatGPT a more versatile tool, catering to both informational and transactional needs.
For users, the benefits are clear: a seamless, ad-free shopping experience with personalized recommendations and the ability to ask complex questions in natural language. For OpenAI, the stakes are even higher.
By blending AI-driven search with e-commerce, the company is not only challenging Google’s dominance but also redefining how we interact with technology to discover and purchase products.
As ChatGPT continues to evolve, its impact on the digital landscape will only grow. With 10 million paying subscribers and $2.7 billion in annual revenue from subscriptions (forecasted to reach $4 billion by the end of 2025, per Exploding Topics), OpenAI has the resources to push boundaries further.
Whether it’s through search, shopping, or new features yet to be announced, ChatGPT is proving that AI can do more than answer questions — it can reshape entire industries.
