Google’s Gemini’s market share is rising quickly, and a new web traffic snapshot suggests the generative AI battle is looking less and less like a one-horse race. According to analytics platform Similarweb, Gemini’s share of generative AI web traffic increased from 5.4% to 18.2% over the past 12 months.
During the same period, ChatGPT’s share fell from 87.2% to 68.0%, a decline of 19 points. The story is easy to read: early dominance gives way to a market where people expand their usage and the biggest platforms start to steer behavior their way.
The advantage of Gemini is that they are everywhere
Gemini has the simple advantage of showing up in products that many people already have open all day. Google is committed to native distribution, with Gemini increasingly integrated into Search, Chrome, Android and Workspace.
In plain language: Gemini meets you where the question arises, instead of asking you to change the tool first. As AI becomes routine, this type of access can be just as important as which chatbot feels smartest on a good day.
Copilot shows that default settings aren’t magic
The same data from Similarweb shows why distribution alone does not guarantee results. Despite being integrated into Windows and Edge, Microsoft’s Copilot barely budged during the period, slipping from 1.5% to 1.2%.
This contrast is the silent reality check. Pre-installation means an AI can stand in front of you. It still needs to earn repeat use. Gemini converts reach into habit more effectively than Copilot has so far, and that explains why Gemini’s market share is rising while another bundled assistant is stuck.
What to watch next
If this trend continues, it suggests that more people will default to the AI closest to their everyday workflow. That’s the real story behind Gemini’s market share: convenience shapes behavior.
The next thing to watch is whether ChatGPT’s share stabilizes at this lower level, or if Gemini continues to rise as Google continues to let it show up in the products people already rely on.
