This is about 100 million more users than the 650 million monthly active users reported by the company in its third quarter earnings report. That report was released just three weeks before the company was set to disrupt the AI world with the introduction of Gemini 3.
“We’re seeing significantly higher engagement per user, especially since the launch of Gemini 3,” Pichai said. “[Gemini 3] “This is the fastest adoption of any model in our history.”
Google’s AI story took a big turn in mid-November thanks to Gemini 3, the company’s latest AI model. AI enthusiasts far and wide praised the model’s capabilities on social media, with even some longtime ChatGPIT fans like Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff admitting to being a Gemini convert. Wei-Lin Chiang, co-founder of AI benchmarking firm LMArena, called the release “much more than a leaderboard shuffle.”
Gemini 3 was so well received that just a few weeks later, OpenAI leadership declared a “Code Red” at the company. Even Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, whose company has significant business with OpenAI, has reportedly expressed concern over Google’s competition for OpenAI’s market dominance.
Despite the huge surge in users for Gemini, it may still have a long way to go before it overtakes ChatGPT to become the chatbot leader. OpenAI does not report regular data on ChatGPT active users, but a December information report claimed that the number of weekly users of ChatGPT was approximately 900 million at that time.
Either way, Google’s catch-up effort is impressive. With high-profile launches like Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro, Google has been able to salvage its once tarnished AI reputation after the failed launch of Gemini Image Generation in early 2024.
“I think we’re in a pretty relentless innovation cadence, and I think we’re confident about maintaining that momentum as we go through ’26,” Pichai said in the earnings call. Executives shared that they plan to double capital spending in 2026, with the majority of it going toward AI.
Google has big plans for Gemini this year. Apple recently used Gemini to power its AI improvements to Siri that are scheduled to launch later this year, and Samsung announced last month that it plans to double the amount of its Gemini-infused mobile devices. The company is also preparing to make Gemini more “shoppable” by including checkout experiences directly in the app.
You might also want to start preparing to have your Gemini chat plagued with ads, but that may still be on the horizon.
“Advertising has always been a part of bringing products to billions of people,” said Philip Schindler, Google’s chief business officer. “But as we’ve said, we’re not rushing anything here.”
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