Google’s AI chatbot app, Gemini, has surpassed 400 million monthly active users (MAUs), CEO Sundar Pichai revealed during a press briefing ahead of the company’s annual developer conference, Google I/O 2025.
The milestone brings Gemini closer to its chief rival, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which Google estimates had around 600 million MAUs as of March.
At the time, Gemini trailed with 350 million MAUs, but its accelerated growth suggests it is gaining significant ground in the race for AI dominance.
“We’re starting to see momentum build around Gemini,” said Pichai, who also highlighted that AI-powered overviews in Search now reach over 1.5 billion users monthly, an indication that Google is rapidly integrating AI across its ecosystem.
Advanced Google Search
At the conference, Google further laid out a vision for Google Search that lets consumers ask virtually anything, from simple queries to complex research questions, from analyzing what a smartphone camera sees to fetching an event ticket to buy.
Google also said it aims to build AI that is personal and proactive, whether phoning a store for users or sending students a practice test generated on the fly.
CEO Sundar Pichai said at the conference that Alphabet would build such AI with the cost in mind as well.
“Over and over, we’ve been able to deliver the best models at the most effective price point,” he said.
AI Ultra Plan
Google also announced an “AI Ultra Plan,” which for $249.99 monthly provides users with higher limits on AI and early access to experimental tools like Project Mariner, an internet browser extension that can automate keystrokes and mouse clicks, and Deep Think, a version of its top-shelf Gemini model that is more capable of reasoning through complicated tasks.
- The price is comparable to $200 monthly plans from AI model developers OpenAI and Anthropic, showing how companies are exploring ways to pay for the exorbitant price tag of AI development.
- Google’s new plan also includes 30 terabytes of cloud storage and an ad-free YouTube subscription.
- Google already offers other subscription options, including a $19.99-per-month service with access to some AI capabilities unavailable for most free users and cheaper plans with additional cloud storage.
Last week, the company said it had signed up more than 150 million subscribers across those plans.
The battle for AI dominance
Google’s push comes as ChatGPT continues to threaten its core Search business, offering a more conversational and interactive way to access information.
- Meanwhile, Meta is also making bold moves in the AI chatbot space. CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently disclosed that Meta’s AI tools already serve over a billion users monthly across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
- The company has also launched a standalone AI chatbot app, aiming to challenge both ChatGPT and Gemini.
- The AI chatbot market, once dominated by OpenAI, is now witnessing an intense showdown among big tech players, each betting big on a future powered by generative AI.
