There are now more than 1 billion users of standalone AI apps like ChatGPT , Claude and Google Gemini, according to a new report.

The milestone comes less than three years after OpenAI released ChatGPT, which became the fastest growing app in history when it launched in November 2022.

“AI is ‘crossing the chasm’, spreading from early adopters into the mass market,” noted the Digital 2026 report, which was carried out by consumer intelligence firm Meltwater and the creative agency We Are Social.

The 700-page report noted that the trend was having a ripple effect across the rest of the internet , with the number of people using conventional search engines now on the decline.

“AI increasingly enables users to answer different kinds of questions, and satisfy a much broader range of nee

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