Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has achieved unprecedented milestones, becoming the fastest app to reach 100 million monthly active users in just two months. By February 2025, it had amassed an impressive 400 million weekly active users.
Initially, consumer interest in ChatGPT was largely driven by curiosity and the novelty of interacting with an AI chatbot. However, as users began to explore its capabilities, they discovered practical applications that integrated seamlessly into their daily lives. This transition from novelty to utility has been pivotal in sustaining and accelerating ChatGPT’s growth.
The introduction of new models and functionalities has played a crucial role in ChatGPT’s recent surge. The launch of GPT-4o, which introduced multimodal capabilities, boosted user engagement from April to May 2024. Subsequent updates, such as Advanced Voice Mode and the o1 model series, further improved usage from July to October 2024.
On the mobile front, ChatGPT has experienced consistent growth, with a notable increase in mobile app users. Approximately 175 million of ChatGPT’s 400 million weekly active users access the app via mobile devices, which reflects a trend where mobile platforms are becoming important for AI applications.
Despite its dominance, ChatGPT faces competition from emerging platforms like DeepSeek. DeepSeek has quickly gained traction, capturing a portion of the mobile user base and demonstrating high user engagement levels, though it still trails behind ChatGPT in overall usage.
Projections suggest that ChatGPT’s user base could surpass 1 billion users in 2025, driven by ongoing improvements and the expanding role of AI in daily life. For instance, 92% of Fortune 500 companies are leveraging OpenAI’s products, which just shows the profound impact of AI on business operations.
The adoption of AI tools like ChatGPT is part of a larger digital transformation. In regions like Malta, where internet penetration is high at 93.5%, the potential for AI integration into daily life is substantial. As mobile connections continue to rise, with many users maintaining multiple connections, the stage is set for AI applications to become even more ubiquitous.