ChatGPT users decline 3% globally, but rise 0.4% in the US

Recent data suggests that ChatGPT's meteoric rise may have been short-lived, with website visits plummeting for the third consecutive month.

Despite the plummeting number of active users, an increase of 0.4 percent in website visits has been witnessed in the US. (Pexels)

In November of the previous year, OpenAI's ChatGPT took the world by storm, quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing digital entities in history. It boasted over 100 million users. It didn't seem to last very long as recent data suggests that ChatGPT's meteoric rise may have been short-lived, with website visits plummeting for the third consecutive month. However, an increase of 0.4 percent in website visits has been witnessed in the US.

What does data say?

ChatGPT's popularity began to wane in March, as users spent less time on the site, dropping from an average of 8.7 minutes to seven minutes by August. In June and July, the number of active users on ChatGPT decreased by nearly 10% each month. In August, it logged a 3% drop in global users. Experts have speculated that the decline might be linked to students going on summer vacation, but now that they are back, things are looking like they are improving.

According to data provided by Similarweb, college-age individuals constitute a significant portion of ChatGPT's user base, making up over a quarter of adult users globally (27%) and 28.6% in the United States. This demographic composition aligns with the theory that the summer vacation period may have contributed to the decline in traffic, as students temporarily shifted their focus away from their studies.

Education and Ethical Concerns

One notable impact of ChatGPT's rise has been its integration into education. Teachers have raised concerns about students using AI tools like ChatGPT for academic assignments. Some schools, like the University of Michigan Law School, have even implemented guidelines discouraging applicants from using AI in their drafting processes. Apart from this, Accuracy issues have also been faced while using ChatGPT.

What's positive for ChatGPT?

Despite the decline, ChatGPT remains a formidable presence in the AI chat landscape. In July, it still boasted more website visits globally than Bing, though the gap between the two platforms is narrowing. Interestingly, some AI enthusiasts may have turned to Bing Chat, which also utilizes OpenAI algorithms, potentially diverting users from ChatGPT.

According to a report by Intelligent.com, Undergraduate and graduate students are increasingly using ChatGPT. The survey was conducted with 1,223 students and it was found that 30% of college students used ChatGPT for schoolwork in the 2022-2023 academic year.

AI is a continuously evolving technology. It is quite difficult to predict what it holds for the future. The same goes for ChatGPT. Now with all the tech majors emerging as strong rivals to ChatGPT, this Sam Altman-run AI tool is facing a formidable challenge.