AI Bots Surpass Human Traffic Online as Gemini and Claude Challenge OpenAI's Dominance

The global artificial intelligence market is entering a new phase, marked by a significant shift in the dominance of AI chatbots. While OpenAI's ChatGPT remains a leading force, its once near-monopolistic hold is weakening considerably, with bots now generating more internet traffic than humans.

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Bots are now responsible for almost 58 percent of all HTTP requests directed to HTML content, pushing human activity down to about 42 percent.

Recent data from Cloudflare reveals a historic milestone: automated programs, or bots, now account for nearly 58% of all HTTP requests for HTML content, leaving human activity at approximately 42%. This development occurred about 18 months earlier than previously predicted by experts, fundamentally altering the structure of the global internet.

Within the chatbot segment, Gemini and Claude are making substantial inroads against ChatGPT. According to a BNP Paribas report, Gemini's share of global AI chatbot traffic rose to nearly 30% in May, up from 29.4% in April. Claude's share increased to 9.8% from 8.8% in the same period. Although ChatGPT still commands over 60% of the market, its share has dramatically decreased from over 90% at the start of 2025.

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Gemini's share in global AI chatbot traffic increased in May to almost 30 percent (from 29.4 percent in April), and Claude's to 9.8 percent (compared to 8.8 percent a month earlier).

This erosion of ChatGPT's position is attributed to several factors. Gemini leverages deep integration within Google's extensive ecosystem, including Android and Chrome. Claude, meanwhile, has gained significant traction in the business-to-business (B2B) sector, particularly in driving referral traffic to brand websites. In this area, ChatGPT's market share has fallen from 89% in mid-2025 to approximately 63% in spring 2026.

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Although ChatGPT still controls over 60 percent of the world's traffic, the decline is striking – at the beginning of 2025, the OpenAI platform controlled over 90 percent of the market.

Despite the increased competition, the overall AI market is expanding rapidly, allowing OpenAI to continue acquiring millions of new users. The company reported 900 million active weekly users in February, double the figure from the previous year, and is aiming to surpass one billion by year-end. However, the trend indicates that new consumers are increasingly opting for alternative AI solutions, signaling a more decentralized future for the chatbot industry.

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Gemini profits from deep integration with the Google ecosystem (Android, Chrome), and Claude gains huge popularity in the B2B sector.