Google Analytics Adds AI Assistant As Default Channel Group via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

▤ Summary

Google Analytics added a new “AI Assistant” default channel group that automatically assigns an "ai-assistant" medium when a session’s referrer matches a recognized AI chatbot. Google named ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude as examples but hasn’t published the full recognized-referrer list. The change removes the need for many property owners to build and maintain custom regex-based channel groups, though traffic that arrives without a referrer header will still be classified as Direct. Expect this to simplify AI traffic measurement, while you should still monitor coverage gaps and use custom regex if a platform isn’t yet recognized.

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