To track ChatGPT traffic in Google Analytics 4, open Reports, then Acquisition, then Traffic acquisition, and look for the AI Assistant row. Since May 13, 2026, GA4 has sorted visits from recognized AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude into this channel automatically.
What the AI Assistant channel includes
Google Analytics Help's release notes say Google Analytics 4 added this channel on May 13, 2026. When a referrer matches a recognized AI assistant, GA4 sets the medium to "ai-assistant." It sets the channel to "AI Assistant," and the campaign to "(ai-assistant)." The release notes name ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude as examples of assistants GA4 recognizes.
A separate Google Analytics Help page on default channel groups describes the AI Assistant channel. It covers sources "like ChatGPT, Gemini, Deepseek, Copilot, or Grok." The same page notes that this grouping, called the default channel group, cannot be edited. A property's primary channel group can be changed and acts as the editable default instead.
Where AI Overview traffic shows up
The default channel group page also says Organic Search still includes clicks from Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. Those visits stay inside Organic Search and do not appear in the AI Assistant channel.
AI Overview and AI Mode impressions appear inside Search Console's Generative AI performance report, according to Search Console Help. This report tracks impressions in those results, something the AI Assistant channel in GA4 does not cover. Our guide to AI Overviews and what they mean for clicks covers Pew's click data and Google's advice for owners.
Finding AI assistant traffic in your reports
The Traffic acquisition report is located under Reports, then Acquisition, then Traffic acquisition, according to Google Analytics Help. Its default dimension is session default channel group, so the AI Assistant row appears there once data comes in.
Session source / medium is also available as a dimension inside this report. Searching that table for "perplexity" can help locate Perplexity visits. Perplexity is not named on either Google Analytics Help page covering the AI Assistant channel.
Keeping your website open to AI crawlers
OpenAI's crawler documentation explains that OAI-SearchBot surfaces websites inside ChatGPT search results. GPTBot handles training data collection as a separate setting. Blocking OAI-SearchBot keeps a website out of ChatGPT search answers, even if GPTBot stays allowed.
Perplexity's documentation describes PerplexityBot as the crawler that surfaces and links websites inside Perplexity search results. Perplexity-User fetches pages when a person asks for them directly and generally ignores robots.txt rules. Perplexity says PerplexityBot is not used to train its foundation models. Our guide to how ChatGPT search finds websites covers how ChatGPT search reaches websites.
What to check in your own GA4 account
Start in Traffic acquisition and find the AI Assistant row. Compare its key events, such as leads or calls, against Organic Search.
Switch the report to session source / medium and search for "perplexity" to catch visits the AI Assistant channel does not include. Check AI Overview visibility inside Search Console's Generative AI performance report. Keep OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot allowed in robots.txt if these tools reaching your website matters to you.
Frequently asked questions
Does GA4 track ChatGPT traffic?
Yes. Google Analytics 4 has sorted visits from recognized AI assistants, including ChatGPT, into an AI Assistant channel since May 13, 2026. The channel appears inside the Traffic acquisition report alongside other channels like Organic Search.
Where does AI Overview traffic show up in Google Analytics?
AI Overview and AI Mode clicks stay inside the Organic Search channel, according to Google Analytics Help. They do not appear inside the AI Assistant channel, so checking Search Console gives a clearer view of those results.
How do I see Perplexity traffic in Google Analytics 4?
Perplexity is not named inside GA4's AI Assistant channel. Searching the session source / medium dimension in the Traffic acquisition report for "perplexity" can help locate these visits.
Google Analytics 4 now gives business owners a clearer starting point for finding AI assistant visits. Perplexity visits take an extra search to find, and AI Overview clicks stay inside Organic Search.
Our SEO, AEO and GEO services can help you review these reports as part of a wider search strategy.
