Recent data from web analytics firm StatCounter reveals a notable shift in the North American search market landscape, with Google experiencing a decline in market share to its lowest point since 2009. As of April 2024, Google's share stands at 79.89%, while Bing and Yahoo have made significant gains, capturing 11.86% and 6.33% of the market, respectively.

This transformation coincides with Microsoft's aggressive integration of advanced artificial intelligence technology into its Bing search engine. In early 2023, Microsoft incorporated the powerful GPT-4 language model into Bing, enhancing its ability to deliver intelligent and conversational search results. This strategic move has driven increased usage and market share gains for Bing, which has witnessed over 1 billion chats in the six months since introducing its AI-powered search.

StatCounter's data highlights Bing's pronounced gains, particularly on desktop devices, where it now commands a 10.17% share compared to 4.96% on tablets and 0.51% on mobile as of April 2024. Yahoo, utilizing Bing's search technology, has also benefited, securing a 2.60% share of the desktop search market.

Microsoft's investment in AI capabilities has yielded significant results, with Bing surpassing 100 million daily active users in March 2023, just a month after launching the new features. The AI-driven search experience enables users to engage in more natural, conversational interactions when seeking information online.

Following an initial limited preview period, Bing expanded its AI-powered search to all users in May 2023, introducing new features such as visual search elements, image-based questioning, and an updated interface for the Edge browser.

Despite Google's enduring dominance in search, with an 86.99% global market share, the company has experienced a slight decline in its grip on the market over the past year. Google's global share has decreased from over 93% a year ago, while Bing has increased its presence from around 2.8% to 3.37% during the same period.

As Bing and Yahoo leverage AI to enhance the search experience and attract more users, Google is developing its own AI search technology to counter the growing competition. However, given Google's substantial lead, particularly in the mobile sphere, the long-term impact of Bing and Yahoo's AI-driven gains on the search landscape remains uncertain.