More than 90% of traffic to AI search engines comes from desktop: Google is the exception to the rule

The emergence of tools and search engines powered by AI is revolutionizing the already competitive world of online search. A surprising aspect of this new paradigm is the fact that more than 90% of referral traffic to AI search engines originates from desktop computers, a stark contrast to the reality of traditional searches, where mobile devices are the main gateway.

This was revealed in a recent study by BrightEdge, which analyzed the traffic of major AI, traditional, and generative search engines across both North America and Europe.

Desktops dominate AI searches

Generally speaking, mobile devices dominate as the primary tool for accessing online search, but the scenario changes when it comes to AI search engines. In this context, desktops are the clear winners by a large margin.

The most notable case is Perplexity.ai, where 96.5% of its traffic comes from desktop computers, while only 3.4% comes from mobiles. Similar values are seen for Bing (95% desktop vs. 4% mobile), ChatGPT.com (94% desktop vs. 6% mobile), and Google Gemini (91% desktop vs. 5% mobile).

This pattern is only disrupted when looking at the results of Google Search, where mobile traffic (53%) holds a slight edge over desktop traffic (44%).

It is important to note that this does not mean that AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini are not used on mobile devices, but it is more likely that users access them through their dedicated applications rather than their web platforms.

The Google paradigm, an opportunity for Apple

As the only AI search engine with a significant percentage of mobile traffic, Google has managed to position its AI Overviews (available for both desktop and mobile versions) as the primary option in this context.

Furthermore, it is notable that Google is the default search engine in most browsers and that over half of its mobile traffic originates from iPhones. This means that Apple is in a favorable position where it could change the rules of the game with a single action. From implementing AI-driven changes in Safari, its browser, to changing its default search engine and thus capturing that traffic from Google.

Jim Yu, founder and CEO of BrightEdge, explains: «We are observing a clear trend: the desktop is currently the main stage for the disruption of web search with AI. While AI tools like ChatGPT are being massively adopted through mobile applications, the mobile web search landscape has surprisingly remained unaffected by the rise of AI: Google still dominates the scene. But Apple controls a key piece. One single move, a change in Safari’s default search engine, could transform everything, and this is just the beginning».

Being aware of this reality makes us pay even more attention to Apple’s WWDC 2025, which is taking place these days and has already announced its first innovations.

Photo: Flux Schnell