Ever since its launch last year, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has become a sensation in the tech world. It has sparked the “AI revolution,” paved the way for numerous new businesses, and has experienced remarkable global growth. However, it seems like the initial excitement may be fading.
According to a report from The Washington Post, the app experienced a decrease in user numbers last month. Both mobile and desktop traffic to the bot’s website declined by nearly 10% globally in June. Downloads of the bot’s iPhone app also saw a decline. The exact reasons behind this drop in user engagement are uncertain, but there are some theories.
The Post’s report is based on an analysis by Similarweb, a web analytics and market intelligence firm. The analysis reveals a surge in web traffic following the bot’s launch in November, with engagement growing rapidly until March and then declining in May. The report also mentions that another popular AI chatbot, Character.AI, experienced a decline in engagement levels in June.
So what could be the reason behind this decline? Is it due to the AI’s tendency to generate strange and misleading information, causing frustration among users? Or perhaps it’s the legal issues surrounding AI-generated content that are deterring people? Another possibility is that people have simply grown tired of conversing with machines.
While the exact cause remains unclear, Similarweb suggests that it might be an indication that the initial novelty of AI has worn off. Another theory proposed by The Post is that college students, who have been utilizing the app to cheat on their education, may have contributed to the decline in engagement as they went on summer break.
Gizmodo has reached out to OpenAI for comment and will update the story if a response is received.
