Google Analytics recognizes AI chatbots as a traffic source

Google Analytics has officially recognized traffic from AI-powered chatbots as a distinct source, marking a new chapter in digital analytics. For the first time, marketers can create custom channel groups to track visits from platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, Perplexity, and others. This update is more than just a technical tweak — it reflects a fundamental shift in user behavior. Increasingly, people are visiting websites not from search engines or social media, but through AI interfaces. Why This Matters According to NP Digital, over 63% of marketers already report receiving traffic from AI tools — either consistently or sporadically. Chatbots are no longer just sources of information; they’re becoming entry points into the customer journey. Notably, platforms like ChatGPT have started appending UTM tags to outbound links, enabling accurate source tracking in Google Analytics. Without this, such visits would typically show up as direct traffic, underestimating the effectiveness of emerging channels. In other words, AI is no longer just a support tool — it’s an independent source of users that requires its own analytics framework. What Google Analytics Now Offers Google’s Help Center has released a step-by-step guide for creating a new AI Chatbots channel using a regular expression (regex) that captures traffic from leading AI platforms: .ai|..openai.*|.chatgpt.|.gemini.|.gpt.|.copilot.|.perplexity.|.*google.bard.|.bard.google.|.bard.|..*gemini.google.$ This expression enables GA4 to automatically identify traffic from the listed sources. However, it’s crucial to keep the list updated, as the URL structures of AI tools can change, and new services frequently appear. How to Set It Up in GA4 Go to Admin in your GA4 property. Navigate to Data Display → Channel Groups. Create a new channel group or edit an existing one. Add a new channel called AI Chatbots using the regex above. Save your changes. Channel rules are processed in order, so traffic will be attributed to the first matching condition.Importantly, this classification works retrospectively — meaning it also applies to historical data. Who Should Use This? Content marketers who receive traffic from AI queries. Brands optimizing their descriptions or product data for AI interfaces. SEO specialists seeking accurate attribution and channel insights. Agencies managing GA4, Google Ads, or offering analytics services. Limitations to Keep in Mind In the free version of GA4, you can create up to 2 custom channel groups (with 50 channels each). GA360 users can create up to 5 channel groups. These AI channels can be used in reports, segments, and audience definitions, but not in Key Events Path reports. Data such as clicks, costs, and impressions is currently unavailable for the "Manual ad content" field, which limits full ROI calculation. AI Is Reshaping Analytics — and Google Acknowledges It This move marks the first official recognition from Google that AI systems are not just digital assistants — they’re major players in digital marketing. As users change the way they discover content, marketers must evolve their strategies, analytics, and assumptions. Custom regex expressions in channel groups are becoming a crucial tool for adaptation, especially for international brands. For instance, Gemini may dominate in India, Perplexity in the U.S., and Copilot among enterprise Microsoft users. Final Thoughts If your website is already receiving traffic from ChatGPT or other AI platforms, don’t ignore it. Set up a dedicated channel in Google Analytics 4 to capture the full picture. Doing so will help you accurately measure content effectiveness, improve attribution, and adapt to changing user behavior. AI is the new referral source — and it’s now officially in your analytics dashboard. This article available in Ukrainian.