How to Track ChatGPT & AI Traffic in GA4 (Create a Generative Engines Channel Group)

If you’ve ever tried to measure traffic from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, or Perplexity in Google Analytics 4, you know the drill:

You go to Traffic Acquisition → switch the primary dimension to Session source / medium → scroll → filter → squint → repeat.

It works… but it’s clunky.

The problem? Generative engine traffic lives in source/medium, while most of us live inside Default Channel Groups when reviewing performance. That disconnect makes it harder to consistently track AI-driven traffic alongside Organic Search, Direct, Referral, and Paid.

The good news: you can fix this by creating a custom channel group in GA4 that segments generative engine traffic automatically.

Here’s exactly how to do it.

Why This Matters

AI-driven traffic is growing quickly. Users are discovering brands through:

• ChatGPT
• Gemini
• Claude
• Microsoft Copilot
• Perplexity

If you’re not tracking these sources cleanly inside your default reporting view, you’re likely underestimating their impact.

Adding a “Generative Engines” channel lets you:

• See AI traffic alongside other channels
• Track growth over time
• Compare engagement and conversion rates
• Report on it easily without custom filters every time

Step-by-Step: Add a Generative Engines Channel Group in GA4

Step 1: Go to Admin Settings

1. Open Google Analytics 4
2. Click the Admin gear icon (bottom left)
3. Navigate to Data Display
4. Click Channel Groups

Step 2: Create a New Channel Group

Important:
You cannot edit the default GA4 channel group provided by Google.

So instead:

1. Click Create new channel group
2. Name it something like:
   • “New Default Channel Group”
   • or “Custom Channel Group with AI Traffic”

Step 3: Add a New Channel

1. Click Add new channel
2. Name it: Generative Engines
3. Click Add condition

Step 4: Add Source Conditions

You’ll want to filter by Source (not medium).

Why?
Because when you check Session source/medium, you’ll see domains like:

• chatgpt.com
• gemini.google.com
• copilot.microsoft.com
• perplexity.ai
• claude.ai

So your condition setup should look like this:

Dimension: Source
Match type: Contains

Add one condition for each engine:

• Source contains chatgpt
• Source contains gemini
• Source contains copilot
• Source contains perplexity
• Source contains claude

Make sure all relevant sources are included.

Then:

• Click Save channel
• Click Save group

Step 5: Set Your New Channel Group as Default

Creating the group isn’t enough — you have to switch to it.

At the top of the Channel Groups screen:

1. Change the primary channel group from the Google default to your new custom group
2. Click Save

Now GA4 will use your version in reports.

Where You’ll See It

Now go to:

Reports → Acquisition → Traffic Acquisition

Scroll down.

Instead of digging into Session source/medium, you’ll now see:

• Organic Search
• Direct
• Paid
• Referral
• (and now) Generative Engines

Just like any other channel.

Pro Tips

• Review sources monthly — new AI tools appear frequently.
• Watch for traffic from Bing AI variations or unexpected domains.
• Consider creating a separate exploration report for deeper AI performance analysis.
• Track conversions to understand how generative engine users behave compared to organic search.

Track Gen Engine Traffic

If you’re serious about understanding how AI impacts your traffic, you need more than a source/medium filter buried in a report.

Creating a custom Generative Engines channel group in GA4 gives you:

• Cleaner reporting
• Faster insights
• Better attribution
• Stronger client reporting

And it only takes a few minutes to set up.

AI-driven traffic isn’t going away. You might as well track it the right way.