Google’s Gemini market share is climbing quickly, and a new web-traffic snapshot suggests the fight for generative AI is starting to look less like a one-horse race. Analytics platform Similarweb says Gemini’s share of generative AI web traffic rose from 5.4% to 18.2% over the last 12 months.
In the same window, ChatGPT’s share dropped from 87.2% to 68.0%, a 19-point slide. The story’s read is straightforward: early dominance is giving way to a market where people are spreading their usage, and the biggest platforms are starting to pull behavior in their direction.
Gemini’s edge is being everywhere
Gemini has the simple advantage of showing up inside products many people already open all day. Google is leaning on native distribution, with Gemini increasingly embedded across Search, Chrome, Android, and Workspace.
In plain terms, Gemini meets you where the question happens, instead of asking you to switch tools first. When AI becomes routine, that kind of access can matter as much as which chatbot feels smartest on a good day.
Copilot shows defaults aren’t magic
The same Similarweb data shows why distribution alone doesn’t guarantee results. Microsoft’s Copilot, despite being baked into Windows and Edge, barely moved over the period, slipping from 1.5% to 1.2% share.
That contrast is the quiet reality check. Being preinstalled can put an AI in front of you. It still has to earn repeat use. Gemini is converting reach into habit more effectively than Copilot has so far, and that helps explain why Gemini market share is rising while another bundled assistant is stuck.
What you should watch next
If this trend continues, it suggests more people will default to the AI that sits closest to their everyday workflow. That’s the real story behind Gemini market share, convenience is shaping behavior.
The next thing to watch is whether ChatGPT’s share stabilizes at this lower level, or whether Gemini keeps climbing as Google keeps surfacing it inside the products people already rely on.