Although OpenAI’s accounts are not as healthy as Sam Altman would like, this is not really a problem when it comes to continuing to raise money from investors. The millions being spent on ChatGPT are striking because of the way they seek to obtain a return: through user attention. And it makes more sense than it might seem at first glance.
7 billion visits per month. A recent analysis by Similarweb on generative AI has provided us with some very interesting figures that are useful for gauging the pulse of today’s internet. In September 2025, AI services totalled 7 billion visits per month, representing 76% growth over the previous year and crowning AI as one of social media’s main rivals in terms of traffic.
ChatGPT remains the undisputed leader: in that month, it reached 5.9 billion visits, very close to Instagram, with 6.5 billion. The top positions are held by Google (with 82.6 billion), YouTube (28.7 billion) and Facebook (11.4 billion).
All for our attention. In the internet age, there is something more valuable than money itself: capturing the attention of users. This is why social media is so attractive to businesses of all sizes, becoming more of a commercial showcase than a place to share our lives.
This is also the same reason why chatbots remain in place, even though they lose money every time someone uses them. Meanwhile, big tech companies are resorting to debt. They don’t want to be left out of the AI bubble, and the reason is now clearer than ever.
The “backbone” of the internet. Not only has ChatGPT managed to become the fastest-rising platform in modern digital history, placing itself on the podium of the world’s five most important websites. What is truly important about this is that they have managed to capture the most valuable thing: the user’s attention.
The next step: filling chatbots with ads. Faced with this paradigm, OpenAI is considering something that was already an open secret: dressing ChatGPT with ads. This possibility would serve to monetise the tool, especially to profit from users of free plans, but it raises many questions in the area of privacy and the neutrality of the responses offered.
When will the benefits come? Meanwhile, technology companies continue to increase investment, even if the benefits are not immediately apparent. The bonus, in this case, comes in the form of meteoric growth and several billion visits, proving that there is reason to be optimistic about AI.