Driven by the growing adoption of generative AI technology, the landscape of mobile search and portal usage in South Korea is undergoing a shift. For the first time since tracking began, Google's monthly active users (MAU) in the country have overtaken those of the largest domestic portal, Naver. Meanwhile, OpenAI's ChatGPT now boasts more than double the user base of Daum.

According to the mobile index released by AI tech firm IGAWorks on the 11th, the Google app recorded 47,022,854 MAUs in July, securing the top spot among productivity applications. This surpassed second-place Naver, which had 46,845,017 MAUs, by 177,837 users. This marks the first time Google has overtaken Naver since the mobile index began its publication in March 2021.

Google's app user base first broke the 40 million mark in May of last year, subsequently surpassing 46 million MAUs in May of this year. Among productivity app rankings, Google Chrome ranked third with 42,457,506 MAUs. Industry insiders attribute the rise in Google-related app usage to the promotion of its AI model, Gemini, and enhancements to its AI search functions.

Additionally, ChatGPT's growth trajectory has been remarkable. In March of last year, its user count stood at just over 5 million, trailing Daum's more than 7.6 million. The number surged in April last year, breaking the 10 million mark for the first time and overtaking Daum. By July, ChatGPT's user count had reached 16,456,151, representing 2.6 times the size of Daum's user base, placing it seventh among productivity applications.