Google and ChatGPT: the key message from Cloudflare's CEO

Source: CritpoTendencia Original Title: Google and ChatGPT: the key message from the Cloudflare CEO Original Link: In a recent podcast TBPN statement, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince delivered a strong and clear message to the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. According to Prince, Google has a huge advantage over OpenAI and other competitors.

This advantage, he said, comes from Google’s ability to see and use more data than anyone else. Prince did not say it indirectly.

He explained where this power comes from and why it could change the course of AI models in the future. His analysis combines technological data, market vision, and alerts about possible effects on competition.

The power of data: the competitive advantage

Prince pointed out that Google’s web crawler, called Googlebot, sees 3.2 times more web pages than OpenAI’s equivalent technology.

Additionally, Google has 4.8 times more access to data than Microsoft. These figures reflect Google’s actual reach on the Web.

That difference is not small. Prince said that for every page OpenAI sees, Google sees more than three. This gives Google data to train large-scale AI models, and a higher volume of data usually translates into better results.

Prince also mentioned Anthropic, another competitor, with access levels similar to Microsoft’s. The rest of the AI companies would be far behind.

Why does Google have privileged access?

Google did not gain this advantage overnight.

Prince explained that its dominant position in the search market made many sites allow Googlebot to access even content behind paywalls or restricted areas.

In other words, Google is inside parts of the Internet that others are prohibited from viewing. The robots.txt files and website practices show how Google maintains this special access.

Prince summarized it clearly: if you have more data, you have more advantage in AI. That phrase sums up the logic of his argument.

Gemini 3: the result of that advantage

Google not only has more data.

According to Prince, its AI model Gemini 3 is achieving better results than OpenAI’s ChatGPT. In reasoning, programming, and multimodal understanding tests, Gemini 3 outperforms its direct competitor, at least in several technical benchmarks.

Furthermore, web traffic data shows interesting trends.

The average number of ChatGPT visitors over seven days decreased by approximately 22%, while Google Gemini grew more than 28% during December 2025. While ChatGPT still has more absolute traffic, the trend is significant.

Gemini now receives about 40% of ChatGPT’s web audience size, a notable figure for a relatively new model.

Implications for OpenAI and the AI market

Prince’s analysis opens an important debate.

If AI models increasingly depend on access to web data, then those who control that data could define leadership in the sector. This logic places Google in a very strong position.

Prince suggested that regulators may need to intervene. According to him, privileged access for Google should be limited or other actors should be ensured similar data access.

All this would enable more balanced competition.

However, this solution is not simple. Changing who controls what data involves decisions on technological policy, digital economy, and rules for search engines and AI companies.

The future of AI and the Web

Prince’s words not only describe the present.

They also outline a possible future where data defines the competitiveness of AI models. In that future, how companies access and use information could profoundly change the digital ecosystem.

Meanwhile, developers, regulators, and content creators will continue to watch how Google, OpenAI, and other leading AI platforms move. This debate marks a turning point in how we understand competition in artificial intelligence today.