Here's How People Are Actually Using ChatGPT, According to OpenAI

Since its launch successful November 2022, ChatGPT has changed the measurement group write emails, negociate their social media accounts, and generate code. Now, a caller study from ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is giving caller penetration into really group are really utilizing the chatbot.

OpenAI's researchers published a 64-page study connected Monday pinch the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) that recovered astir 80% of each conversations pinch ChatGPT were concerned pinch 3 categories: applicable guidance, seeking information, and penning help. The study, which was based connected much than one-and-a-half cardinal ChatGPT messages sent from May 2024 to July 2025 by 130,000 users, is the largest of its benignant to date.

Here's what it found:

Related: ChatGPT's New Update Can Create PowerPoint Presentations and Excel Spreadsheets for You

What Are ChatGPT's Demographics?

ChatGPT's demographics person changed successful the years since its launch.

The percent of antheral users has declined from 80% successful the first fewer months aft the chatbot's driblet in late 2022 to 48% arsenic of June 2025, which makes the chatbot's superior personification guidelines now chiefly female.

Meanwhile, astir half of each messages sent to the chatbot since motorboat were sent by users nether the property of 26. Gen Z is embracing AI, pinch a survey conducted by International Workplace Group earlier this twelvemonth uncovering that adjacent to two-thirds of Gen Z respondents were school their older colleagues really to usage AI.

OpenAI besides announced connected Tuesday that it was creating a different type of ChatGPT for teen users nether the property of 18 that prioritized teen safety.

How Are People Using ChatGPT?

• Practical guidance

The astir communal usage lawsuit was "practical guidance," which is defined successful the study arsenic encompassing activities, specified arsenic tutoring, teaching, how-to advice, and coming up pinch creative ideas.

• Seeking information

The adjacent astir celebrated class progressive "seeking information," which is branded arsenic searching for accusation astir people, products, and existent events, for illustration conducting a web search.

• Writing

The last celebrated usage lawsuit included penning tasks that automatically make emails and documents, and editing text. Writing was the astir communal usage lawsuit astatine work, pinch an mean of 40% of work-related messages connected ChatGPT stemming from penning queries. Most requests asked ChatGPT to look astatine matter the personification had already written alternatively of creating thing new. In different words, two-thirds of penning messages asked ChatGPT to edit, translate, critique, aliases modify matter alternatively of generating caller text.

"Writing dominates work-related tasks, highlighting chatbots' unsocial expertise to make integer outputs compared to accepted hunt engines," the study read.

Related: ChatGPT's Creators Are Worried We Could Get Emotionally Attached to the AI Bot, Changing 'Social Norms'

The study besides classified messages different way, utilizing 3 categories based connected the benignant of output the personification was looking for: Asking, Doing, aliases Expressing.

"Asking" applies to astir half of each messages sent to the chatbot (49%), which occurs erstwhile a personification seeks accusation astir a taxable aliases a solution to a problem. "Doing" refers to tasks wherever a personification wants an output, particularly writing activities, and applies to 40% of each messages. "Expressing," which refers to 11% of each messages, happens erstwhile a personification communicates their views aliases feelings without asking for immoderate accusation aliases action.

Based connected these classifications, users were much apt to usage ChatGPT to find answers to questions alternatively than to transportation retired tasks aliases definitive opinions. ChatGPT users tapping into the chatbot astatine activity were astir apt to usage it to activity accusation and find information.

"Overall, we find that information-seeking and determination support are the astir communal ChatGPT usage cases successful astir jobs," the study reads.

Related: Is Your ChatGPT Session Going On Too Long? The AI Bot Will Now Alert You to Take Breaks

Despite chat from tech leaders for illustration Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, it seems for illustration vibe coding is still niche. The study recovered that comparatively fewer users were tapping into ChatGPT to code; only 4.2% of messages were related to machine programming, overmuch little than 33% of each work-related conversations pinch competing chatbot Claude from Anthropic.

Also, only a mini percent of users were utilizing ChatGPT for companionship aliases guidance connected societal issues. Less than 2% of ChatGPT messages were astir relationships and individual reflection, per the study.