Google Gemini AI Nears Half Billion User Mark

Image Credits: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg / Getty Images

Gemini's Rapid User Growth

Google’s Gemini AI app has achieved a significant milestone, now boasting over 400 million monthly active users. This announcement was made by CEO Sundar Pichai during a press briefing leading up to Google I/O 2025.

The AI chatbot app from Google is quickly gaining ground, nearing the user numbers of OpenAI's ChatGPT. According to recent court filings from March, Google estimated ChatGPT had approximately 600 million monthly active users, while Gemini stood at 350 million. This new figure indicates a substantial increase for Gemini.

Competing in the AI Chatbot Arena

The emergence of ChatGPT has posed a considerable challenge to Google's core Search business by offering users an innovative, more interactive method for accessing information online. The Gemini app represents Google's primary effort to rival OpenAI in this new era of chatbots. So far, these efforts appear to be fruitful, with the Gemini app seemingly attracting users who might have otherwise used ChatGPT.

Strategic Leadership and Revitalization

In a move to bolster Gemini's presence, Google has recently reorganized its leadership. Josh Woodward, known for his work on the popular NotebookLM app, has taken the helm of Gemini. This change is part of a broader strategy to create more excitement and engagement around Google's AI chatbot.

Google's Broader AI Integration

It's important to note that the Gemini app is just one facet of Google's strategy to integrate AI across its services. During the same briefing, Pichai revealed that Google’s AI overviews are now utilized by over 1.5 billion users monthly. Furthermore, at Google I/O 2025, the company announced plans to expand the availability of AI mode, aiming to enhance Search with more conversational experiences driven by generative AI.

The Expanding AI Chatbot Landscape

While OpenAI and Google currently lead with the most popular AI chatbot applications, Meta is also making significant inroads into this competitive space. CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently stated that Meta’s AI products engage over a billion monthly active users across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Moreover, Meta has launched its own AI chatbot app designed to compete directly with both ChatGPT and Gemini.

What was once a market largely dominated by ChatGPT a few years ago has now evolved into a highly competitive field, with major technology companies vying for a share.