People increasingly use ChatGPT the way they use a search engine. OpenAI’s Signals data, version 3.0, released on October 26, 2026, shows that seeking information is now about as common as writing in consumer ChatGPT messages.
The numbers
- August 2026: information seeking reached 20.7% of consumer messages, just above writing at 20.6%, the first month it came out on top.
- September 2026: writing 21.4%, information seeking 20.2%.
- The long trend: since July 2024, writing fell from 34.1% to 21.4%, while information seeking rose from 16.7% to 20.2%.
- Practical guidance, such as how-to advice and tutoring, remains the biggest category: 28.1% of messages in September.
- Work: 32.2% of messages were work-related in September, and information seeking inside work messages rose to 15.2%.
The sample is about 1 million messages a month from adult users on the Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans, classified automatically. “Seeking information” combines factual questions, questions about products and services, and recipes and cooking, so the share of each is unknown.
What the data does not say
- It does not show search traffic. Signals does not report how often ChatGPT looked at websites or cited sources.
- The growth is slower than earlier claims. A 2025 OpenAI and Harvard paper reported information seeking rising to 24% by mid-2025; Signals shows 18.3% for June 2025, with no explanation for the difference.
- Numbers get revised. Each Signals update can change earlier months, so cite the version and the period.
Why it matters for SEO
A fifth of ChatGPT messages are questions that used to start in a search engine: facts, products, services and recipes. Combined with practical guidance, almost half of all messages look like search. For many queries, especially early research and how-to questions, the first answer people see is now written by an assistant.
- Optimize for being the source. Clear answers, original data and well-structured pages are what assistants use and cite.
- Track AI referrals. Part of your audience now arrives from assistants, and it is easy to miscount. Read how to measure AI referral traffic.
- Know what AI says about you. Check it with our free AI Visibility Checker.
- Don’t give up on Google. Information seeking in ChatGPT is growing, but the share is still a fifth of its messages. Classic search remains a huge channel; the two are now complementary.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What do people use ChatGPT for most?
Practical guidance, such as how-to advice and tutoring, at 28.1% of consumer messages in September 2026, followed by writing (21.4%) and seeking information (20.2%).
Is ChatGPT replacing Google search?
Not replacing, but competing for part of it. About a fifth of consumer ChatGPT messages seek information, and the share has grown since 2024.
Where does this ChatGPT data come from?
OpenAI’s Signals data (version 3.0, October 26, 2026), based on about 1 million consumer messages a month classified automatically.
What should SEOs do?
Create content that assistants can use and cite, measure AI referral traffic, and monitor how AI describes your brand.