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With AI dominating the headlines over the past few months since the release of ChatGPT, it’s no wonder that people’s interest in it is at an all-time high. During the week that lasted through April 30 and May 6, the global searches for the term “artificial intelligence” peaked at 100 points, which goes to show how curious and eager people are to learn more about this emerging technology and its applications in various domains.
Essentially, 100 points is the peak popularity of a search term. Similarly, the popularity is down to half when it hits 50 points and 0 when there is absolutely no search happening on the term. AI hitting 100 points shows that user interest for the term has hit an all-time high.
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The week that lasted through April 30 and May 6 saw searches for ‘AI’ peak, according to Google’s data. (Express image)
After this peak of curiosity, the interest dropped slightly in May but continued to remain remarkably high at 94 points as of June 2. This is a striking contrast to the past 10 years, when searches for AI rarely exceeded 25 points, indicating that people are now four times more eager to explore the technology.
Things changed with the release of the now-insanely popular AI tool ChatGPT in late November, following which the interest in AI immediately saw a steep upwards curve.
However, even though it was ChatGPT that brought about this frenzied interest in artificial intelligence technologies, the AI chatbot currently is far from being the most-searched AI-related term.
That honour goes to the term “character ai,” which refers to Character.ai – a platform that allows users to create their own AI chatbots with customizable personalities and even based on fictional characters, such as Super Mario. ChatGPT ranks ninth on the list of AI-related search terms, with only 25 points.
This does not imply that Character.ai is more popular than ChatGPT. The latter saw the quickest rise to the 100 million users mark (in just two months) and continues to grow. Rather, it suggests that Character.ai is newer and less familiar to the public, who are trying to learn more about it. Character.ai also launched its iOS and Android apps last month, again contributing to the hype. ChatGPT, on the other hand, has already established a loyal user base that probably visits the website directly instead of searching it on Google first.
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Other top AI-related queries include “ai generator,” “google ai,” “open ai,” and “ai chat.”
Bitcoin still reigns supreme though
But despite AI reaching a new all-time high, it’s yet to beat Bitcoin’s peak which happened back in December 2017 during the cryptocurrency’s historic rally. The difference is minor though: if Bitcoin’s December 2017 peak saw a score of 100, AI’s May 2023 peak recorded a score of 90 when pitched against the other.
(Express image)
AI is also more frequently searched overall globally, recording 20 points on average versus Bitcoin’s 13 points. Moreover, searches related to AI are more consistent with a relatively flatter curve, as opposed to Bitcoin’s more unstable graph that picks up search volume mostly during crypto rallies.
It remains to be seen if, like crypto, AI is yet another fad that will eventually wear off. Or if it’s a transformative technology that will shape the future. But with rapid advancements in AI and its applications expanding across industries, it is evident that the interest and curiosity surrounding artificial intelligence are here to stay.
Zohaib is a tech enthusiast and a journalist who covers the latest trends and innovations at The Indian Express's Tech Desk. A graduate in Computer Applications, he firmly believes that technology exists to serve us and not the other way around. He is fascinated by artificial intelligence and all kinds of gizmos, and enjoys writing about how they impact our lives and society. After a day's work, he winds down by putting on the latest sci-fi flick. • Experience: 3 years • Education: Bachelor in Computer Applications • Previous experience: Android Police, Gizmochina • Social: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn ... Read More
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