UK Users Are Turning to AI Search

GenAI is reshaping how people in the UK find information online, according to Ofcom research. OpenAI’s ChatGPT emerged as the dominant AI-native search challenger after it drew 252 million UK visits in August 2025.

In its latest Online Nation 2025 report, the regulator found that visits to ChatGPT increased by 156% in August, contributing to 1.8 billion UK visits in the first eight months of 2025, up from 368 million in the same period of 2024. Rival AI chatbots also saw traction, though from smaller bases. Google’s Gemini saw UK visits rise 146%, while Anthropic’s Claude grew 138% and Perplexity increased 100% in the year to August 2025. Ofcom did not break down how many visits these figures equated to.

Ofcom said search practices are moving away from conventional link-based pages toward AI-powered, chat-style interactions, finding early evidence that users who see AI summaries are less likely to click through to original content, reducing publisher traffic. In addition, the adoption of AI summaries from services such as Google’s AI Overviews has become embedded in mainstream search use.

Ofcom noted that 30% of keyword searches now deliver AI-supported responses, encouraging passive user adoption. Looking ahead, the regulator predicted genAI will continue to become an increasingly important component of search as rapidly evolving AI-tools, fast user adoption, and unprecedented levels of investment spur growth and innovation.

Overall online engagement also continues to rise as UK adults spent an average of four and a half hours online each day in 2025, up 10 minutes from last year. More than half of that time was spent within services owned by Alphabet and Meta Platforms.

Meta edged ahead of Alphabet in total time spent, with online adults averaging 1 hour 10 minutes per day on Meta-owned apps. Facebook and Messenger were used by 93% of online adults and WhatsApp by 90%, while Instagram continued to grow in reach and engagement.

Alphabet-owned YouTube remains the dominant individual platform across the country. Users accessed the video platform for an average of 51 minutes per day on smartphones, tablets, and PCs, with Ofcom noting YouTube overtook Google Search in reach.