Short answer
OpenAI's monthly Signals data shows that about a fifth of ChatGPT messages on consumer plans are information seeking, very close to writing requests. However, the information-seeking category combines facts, product questions and recipes, and the data does not measure which sites ChatGPT cites as sources.
Highlights
- In August, information seeking made up 20.7 per cent of messages, with writing at 20.6 per cent.
- In September writing moved back ahead at 21.4 per cent, with information seeking at 20.2 per cent.
- The data does not split out product questions or measure citations or external source access; each Signals version can revise earlier months.
2 min readAuthor: UNIT Journal EditorEditor-in-chief: Uğur Deniz İlhan
According to the Signals data OpenAI released on 26 October, information seeking accounted for 20.7 per cent of messages on consumer ChatGPT plans in August, while writing stood at 20.6 per cent. Search Engine Journal reports that it was the first month since the series began in July 2024 in which information seeking was ahead of writing.
What do people ask ChatGPT most?
The largest topic is practical guidance, covering how-to advice and tutoring, at 28.1 per cent in September. In September writing moved back ahead at 21.4 per cent, with information seeking at 20.2 per cent. From July 2024 to September 2026, writing's share fell from 34.1 to 21.4 per cent, while information seeking rose from 16.7 to 20.2 per cent. The data comes from a monthly sample of 1 million messages from accounts aged over 18.
What do these figures not show?
According to OpenAI's data dictionary, information seeking combines requests for facts, questions about products and services for sale, and recipe help in one category. So it is impossible to separate how many are product questions. Signals also does not report how often ChatGPT accessed external sources or cited a site.
There is a gap between versions too: Signals shows a smaller rise in information seeking than the 2025 paper by OpenAI and Harvard researchers. For mid-2025 the paper gives 24 per cent and Signals 18.3 per cent; the source notes that the difference is not explained. Each new Signals version can also revise earlier months.
What should companies in Türkiye do?
- When you quote a ChatGPT percentage in a report or presentation, state the source, the period and the Signals version (V3.0); figures from different versions may not match.
- The data does not tell you whether your brand is mentioned. Ask ChatGPT your sector's customer questions yourself and record each month how your brand appears.
- Prepare current, sourced pages that answer questions directly; GEO work aims precisely at making such pages a source in AI answers.
- Track visits from ChatGPT as a separate source in analytics, and judge the result by forms and enquiries as well as clicks.
Frequently asked
- What is OpenAI Signals?
- A data set in which OpenAI classifies by topic a monthly sample of messages from consumer ChatGPT plans. It covers the Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans; Enterprise and Codex are excluded.
Sources
- Search Engine Journal ·
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