ChatGPT fastest app to hit 1 billion monthly users

OpenAI’s ChatGPT reached one billion monthly active users in May, roughly three-and-a-half years after its public launch in November 2022, according to estimates from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

Sensor Tower’s figures place ChatGPT ahead of the previous record holder, Google Maps, which reached one billion monthly users in about five years. OpenAI reported in February that ChatGPT had more than 900 million weekly active users across web and mobile platforms and said the service generated greater than six times the monthly web visits and mobile sessions of its nearest AI rival.

Sensor Tower ranks ChatGPT above several competitors, including Google’s Gemini, ByteDance’s Doubao and Dola, and Anthropic’s Claude. The gap has narrowed as rivals increase usage: estimated monthly sessions for Claude rose about 640% year on year, Meta AI recorded roughly 973% growth, and ChatGPT’s user base expanded about 62% over the same period. Abe Yousef, a senior insights analyst at Sensor Tower, attributed competitors’ gains to improvements in their underlying models and changing user perceptions.

User growth has occurred amid higher scrutiny of AI. After OpenAI disclosed a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense in late February, daily app uninstalls of ChatGPT spiked about 295% on February 28. During that weekend, Anthropic, which declined involvement in Pentagon-related operations, saw Claude rise to the top of the App Store and exceed ChatGPT in U.S. downloads for the first time.

The rivalry has intensified as both companies move toward public offerings. Anthropic filed an IPO prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, followed by an initial public offering filing from OpenAI the next week.

Industry participants have raised warnings about rapid AI development. Anthropic urged a pause in global advancement, stating that if systems become capable of fully building their own successors, efforts to secure, monitor and shape those systems will grow more complex. A letter published on May 25 by Pope Leo identified risks tied to AI expansion, including widening inequality and threats to public safety.

Concerns have appeared in other settings. Reports from recent university commencement ceremonies describe graduates booing references to AI amid worries the technology could displace entry-level jobs and create ethical and environmental challenges.

Economic projections and user behavior suggest continued adoption. The United Nations estimates the global AI market could exceed $4.8 trillion by 2033. Sensor Tower’s Yousef observed that negative sentiment toward AI has increased, yet consumers continue to rely on these platforms for a range of tasks.