Despite the emergence of multiple major artificial intelligence (AI) platforms since 2022, ChatGPT remains the most popular large language model (LLM) in the market.
As Finbold research found, the global search volume for ChatGPT is more than twenty times larger than that of its next biggest competitor, Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Gemini, with 210 million to Google’s 10 million worldwide.
Additionally, the individual search volume for OpenAI’s platform in India – 37 million – and in the U.S. – 26 million – is bigger than the entire global interest for Gemini, the second most searched-for AI tool in the world.
So far, Meta AI might be the biggest loser of 2024 as, despite having an estimated 600 million users in 2023, its search volume in January 2025 came in at only 590,000 – only slightly better than the ‘smallest’ available platform, xAI’s Grok.
AI remains controversial despite rise in public interest
Simultaneously, despite the growing demand for and proliferation of AI products, the technology continues to court controversy. On the one hand, various studies from 2024 show higher levels of adoption and proportionally less skepticism compared to 2023.
On the other hand, many remain critical of artificial intelligence for its possible role in driving humans out of work and the numerous errors in its operations. The most amusing – though dangerous – example of an AI mishap in 2024 was when one model recommended glue as an ingredient for pizza.
As Andreja Stojanovic, a co-author of the research, pointed out:
“The developments have been embraced by companies developing, refurbishing, or otherwise implementing various AI products, and investors have, at least at face value, been enthusiastic about the trends. Still, criticism that the current versions of AI are not real artificial intelligence remains as abundant as mishaps stemming from the implementation of the technology.”
Finally, it remains undeniable that both the benefits and mishaps have played a part in the AI industry’s growth, with some controversies – such as Artisan AI’s ‘stop hiring humans’ campaign – being intentionally designed to play on people’s fears.