Will AI-Powered Browsers Replace Search Engines?

One of the most intriguing questions in tech right now is whether AI-driven browsers with integrated chatbots will eventually replace traditional search engines.

To explore this, let’s look at data from a recent One Little Web study analyzing 24 months of web traffic (April 2023–March 2025) across the top 10 AI chatbots (including ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Perplexity) and the top 10 search engines (like Google, Bing, and Yahoo). The findings suggest that while AI chatbots are growing rapidly, search engines still dominate—for now.

Key Insights from the Study:

AI chatbot traffic surged by 80.92% YoY, yet it remains 34 times smaller than search engine traffic.
Despite ChatGPT’s explosive growth, its daily visits are 26 times lower than Google’s.
Search engines are regaining momentum, thanks to AI integration—led by Google and Bing.
Yahoo’s visits dropped by 22.5% YoY, signaling its continued decline.
Grok emerged as the second-fastest-growing chatbot, while Perplexity and Claude show steady growth.

But the real question isn’t just about replacement—it’s about integration. Will AI chatbots become a fundamental part of the browsing experience?

The Browser: The Next Frontier for AI

Google’s launch of Chrome was a masterstroke—it didn’t just organize the world’s information via search; it also controlled the gateway to that information. Today, the vision is shifting: browsers are evolving into intelligent agents, reshaping how we interact with the web.

Perplexity, for instance, now handles 780 million queries monthly and boasts a valuation of $14 billion. Unlike OpenAI, which builds foundational models, Perplexity’s focus on customization could give it an edge in the browser wars.

The Race for AI-Powered Browsers Is On

Arc’s "Dia" (launched June 2024) turns the browser’s address bar into a chatbot.
OpenAI is reportedly weeks away from unveiling its own browser, potentially powered by its Operator agent.
Google has been slow to deeply integrate Gemini into Chrome—possibly due to antitrust concerns or hesitation to disrupt its own dominance.

The Future of Browsing

An AI-powered browser could:
✔ Reduce direct website clicks (while boosting engagement for those who do visit).
✔ Transform content discovery by making AI answers the default.
✔ Unlock new ad revenue models in an AI-first experience.

The next wave of innovation won’t just be about replacing search engines—it’ll be about reinventing the browser itself.

Will AI-Powered Browsers Replace Search Engines?