ChatGPT is quickly emerging as a go-to tool for getting real-time news. Data from Similarweb shows that its monthly active users have more than doubled over the past six months—a 116% year-over-year increase that marks a clear shift from traditional search engines to AI platforms.
From January 2024 to May 2025, news-related queries on ChatGPT surged by 212%, while similar searches on Google dropped by 5%. People are clearly looking for immediate, customised answers, whether it’s stock tips, finance updates, or sports scores.
In fact, users are predominantly asking about stocks (33%), finance (21%), sports (17%), and weather (15%). There’s also a noticeable spike in interest around political issues, inflation, the economy, climate concerns, and customs duties—showing that today’s news landscape demands context as much as headlines.
This shift isn’t just changing user behaviour—it’s also reshaping how news sites are performing. Referral traffic from ChatGPT to platforms with exclusive OpenAI partnerships climbed dramatically, from under one million to over 25 million visits between January–May 2024 and the same period in 2025. Big names like Reuters, the New York Post, Business Insider, the Guardian, and the Wall Street Journal are reaping the benefits, while outlets like CNN and the New York Times have been left off the top referral list, likely because of stricter content policies.
Meanwhile, Google’s role as a news hub is shrinking. Its AI-driven Overview feature, introduced in May 2024, boosted zero-click news searches from 56% to 69%, causing organic visits to dive from over 2.3 billion to under 1.7 billion. This shift has raised concerns among EU media organisations, who see these changes as a challenge to traditional journalism.
If you’ve ever struggled to keep up with breaking news, these trends might help you understand just how rapidly the landscape is evolving. Embracing AI-powered solutions while staying true to reliable journalism could be key to navigating the future of news.
