The search functionality of ChatGPT, which allows the chatbot to access up-to-date information from the internet, is seeing a significant rise in popularity across Europe. According to a report from OpenAI Ireland Limited, the average number of active users for this feature reached 41.3 million monthly in the six months leading up to March 31, 2025. In contrast, the previous half-year reported only 11.2 million users. This information is reported by TechCrunch.

OpenAI shares this data in compliance with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates the operations of major online platforms in Europe. Under this law, services with more than 45 million active monthly users must provide an option to opt-out of recommendation algorithms, grant access to certain data for researchers and authorities, and undergo external audits. If the current growth rates continue, ChatGPT Search may fall under these regulations.

Violations of the DSA can result in fines of up to 6% of the company's global revenue or even a temporary suspension of operations within the EU.

Despite its rapid growth, ChatGPT Search is still far from the market leader—Google. Some estimates suggest that the number of search queries on Google exceeds those of ChatGPT by hundreds of times. Surveys indicate that only 8% of users are willing to use ChatGPT as their primary search engine.

Moreover, ChatGPT Search has its drawbacks, particularly in accuracy. Research shows that it often makes mistakes in finding articles or processing news, even when it has access to licensed sources.