As India concludes 2025, Google’s Year in Search report highlights a growing fascination with artificial intelligence. Gemini emerged as the most searched AI, while Grok and Perplexity captured more online buzz than ChatGPT, reflecting a shift toward AI-driven creativity and productivity across the country.
Google’s Year in Search 2025 report reveals that Google’s Gemini was the most searched AI tool in India, surpassing even ChatGPT in search popularity. According to the report, Indians are exploring a range of AI platforms for creativity, learning, and productivity, marking a transition from casual curiosity to integrating AI into everyday life.
Gemini ranked as the second overall trending search of 2025 in India, trailing only the Indian Premier League. Its popularity highlights how AI has evolved from a tech buzzword to an essential digital tool. The report notes that platforms like Gemini powered viral trends, including the “Nano Banana” phenomenon, which leveraged Gemini’s 2.5 Flash Image model for creative 3D and saree transformation edits.
India’s interest in AI extended beyond Google’s ecosystem. Tools like Grok, Perplexity, DeepSeek, and Google AI Studio were also among the most searched AI platforms.
Grok gained attention for its humour-infused conversational style.
Perplexity stood out as a search-focused AI assistant that challenges traditional Google Search responses.
DeepSeek was popular for creative image generation and AI-based art experiments.
“The year AI became an everyday companion,” the report noted, highlighting how Indians increasingly relied on AI for learning, creating, and accomplishing tasks.
India’s AI engagement in 2025 was not limited to professional use. Google’s report shows that AI became a medium for artistic expression, with Gemini-driven trends dominating social feeds. Searches like “Gemini saree trend prompt” and “3D model trend” peaked throughout the year, showcasing the blend of AI with art and design.
Elon Musk’s Grok, integrated into X (formerly Twitter), gained traction for its sarcastic tone and contextual awareness, distinguishing itself from competitors’ formal approaches. Together with Perplexity AI, which focuses on search-style responses, these tools generated significant online discussions about the best AI assistants in India.
While ChatGPT continued to be widely used, it was not the headline-maker it once was. According to Google’s A-to-Z search breakdown, ChatGPT trailed behind newer, lightweight AI models that promise faster, more integrated experiences.
“India explored a whole ecosystem of tools,” the report said, noting that 2025 marked a democratization of AI use across research, entertainment, design, and meme-making.
One of the standout phenomena of 2025 was the Nano Banana trend, which combined AI-generated 3D figurines, stylized caricatures, and hyperreal portraits. Powered by Gemini’s image models, this trend became a symbol of AI-driven creativity in India.
From students asking Gemini to draft essays, entrepreneurs using Perplexity for business insights, to influencers experimenting with Grok-style wit, AI’s integration into daily life blurred the lines between human creativity and machine assistance.
“In a year dominated by cricket, cinema, and culture, AI managed to claim a top spot in the nation’s curiosity,” the report stated.
The surge in AI searches shows rapid adoption of emerging technologies among Indian users. Indians increasingly turned to AI not just for solving problems but for enhancing creativity, learning, and entertainment.
With Gemini leading searches, and platforms like Grok and Perplexity creating more buzz than ChatGPT, Google’s Year in Search 2025 illustrates how AI has become an integral part of India’s digital culture, paving the way for innovation in education, business, and social media engagement.