Numbers that are reshaping the balance of power

When OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, the world witnessed something rarely seen in the history of technology. The application reached 100 million users in two months — faster than TikTok, Instagram, or any other service before it. For three years, it held the position of the undisputed king of conversational artificial intelligence.

But that dominance is starting to crumble. On its latest earnings call, Alphabet announced that the Gemini app has surpassed 750 million monthly active users (MAU), up by 100 million from the previous quarter. ChatGPT is estimated to have over 800 million MAU, but the gap has narrowed to a historic low.

For comparison: at the beginning of 2025, ChatGPT had roughly 600 million users and Gemini around 300 million. Gemini's 150% growth in a single year is unprecedented — and it shows that Google has finally turned its infrastructure advantage into a real user base.

Why Gemini is growing: Ecosystem as an invisible weapon

The main reason for Gemini's growth is not that it's technically superior to GPT-5.5 — although it competes in some benchmarks. The key is integration across the entire Google ecosystem.

Gemini now powers:

• AI overviews in Google Search — billions of queries daily receive Gemini-generated answers
• Google AI Mode — enhanced search where users ask follow-up questions in conversational mode
• The standalone Gemini app — a direct competitor to ChatGPT available on Android and iOS
• Google Workspace — integration into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and other tools
• Google Cloud — enterprise API access via Vertex AI

Unlike OpenAI, which builds primarily on a single application (ChatGPT) and API (Codex), Google can "bundle" Gemini with services people already use. It doesn't have to convince them to download a new app — it's enough that they use Gmail or search.

The Gemini 3 model, the latest version from Google DeepMind, brought significant improvements in coding and multimodal capabilities. In the Chatbot Arena ranking, Gemini 3 Flash regularly places in the top 5 models, often ahead of competing models from Anthropic and OpenAI. For Czech users, it's noteworthy that Gemini supports Czech at a very solid level — it understands Czech queries, responds in Czech, and can also generate Czech texts without significant errors.

ChatGPT: First to market, but under pressure

OpenAI isn't standing still. According to CNBC, the company is finalizing a $100 billion funding round to finance massive AI infrastructure. It is also preparing an IPO that could be one of the largest in tech history. ChatGPT remains the strongest brand among AI chatbots — surveys repeatedly show that for everyday users, "AI" is still synonymous with ChatGPT.

But competition is intensifying from all sides. Anthropic with its Claude Opus 4.8 model has overtaken OpenAI in revenue and enterprise customers. Meta is building an agentic assistant for billions of users of its social networks. And Microsoft, OpenAI's largest investor, is itself developing a competing Copilot integrated into Windows and Office.

OpenAI is therefore expanding its portfolio: it launched ChatGPT Go, the cheapest subscription at about CZK 120 per month, targeting developing markets. The GPT-5.5 Instant model has become the default for free users. And the company is experimenting with personal finance — ChatGPT Pro, at $200 per month, can connect to a bank account and function as a financial advisor.

What this means for the everyday user

For users, intensified competition is definitely good news. Prices are falling, models are getting faster, and features are multiplying. Today you can choose from:

• ChatGPT (OpenAI): Free version with GPT-5.5 Instant, Plus at $20/month (roughly CZK 460), Pro at $200/month
• Gemini (Google): Free version with Gemini 3 Flash, Advanced within Google One AI Premium at €21.99/month (roughly CZK 550)
• Claude (Anthropic): Free version with limited messages, Pro at $20/month, Max at $100/month

Differences in everyday conversational quality are blurring among top models — what matters more is the ecosystem the model is integrated into and specific tasks (programming, data analysis, document work).

Google is changing search — and everyone will pay the price

Gemini's growth also has its controversial side. Google is increasingly aggressive in replacing classic search results with AI overviews. This speeds up answers, but at the same time drains traffic from websites that rely on search — from news media to small e-shops. In the European Union, there is also debate over whether Google is abusing its dominant market position by integrating Gemini into its search engine.

For Czech businesses and publishers, this means one thing: traditional SEO is no longer enough. Content must be of such quality and structure that AI models cite it as a trustworthy source. New disciplines are emerging, such as GEO (generative engine optimization) — optimization for AI search engines.

Alphabet riding the wave: $400 billion and record growth

On the business side, Alphabet cannot complain. In 2025, the company surpassed the $400 billion annual revenue mark for the first time, with 15% year-over-year growth. The main drivers were the cloud division and advertising, both bolstered by AI integration. After the results were published, analysts collectively raised their stock price targets — they see a clear path to monetizing AI services.

Although comparing Gemini and ChatGPT "apples to apples" is not entirely accurate — ChatGPT is a single application, while Gemini is spread across Google's ecosystem — the trend is clear: the catch-up is happening faster than the market expected.

It's not checkmate for ChatGPT yet. But the game has evened out.