OpenAI, in partnership with the National Bureau of Economic Research, just released the largest study to date on how people are using ChatGPT, analyzing user messages from May 2024 to June 2025.
The findings paint a surprising picture of a technology that’s becoming deeply embedded in our personal lives, often in ways that have little to do with work.
The headline finding? Over 70% of all consumer usage is now non-work-related, a figure that has climbed dramatically over the last year.
To understand what this massive dataset tells us about the future of AI and society, I talked it through with SmarterX and Marketing AI Institute founder and CEO Paul Roetzer on Episode 168 of The Artificial Intelligence Show.
According to the researchers, nearly 80% of all ChatGPT conversations fall into three broad categories that they call Practical Guidance, Writing, and Seeking Information. While work-related use is on the rise (especially among educated users in professional roles) it’s clear that ChatGPT has become a go-to tool for everyday life.
(It is important to note, however, that “the study covers consumer plans only,” which we read as non-business licenses. This obviously skews the results here.)
When consumers are using ChatGPT for work, Writing tasks account for 40% of all work-related messages. However, the study also reveals that AI is increasingly being used as a decision-support tool, not just a task-execution machine. The researchers classify usage into "Asking" (where the user seeks advice) and "Doing" (where the user wants a direct output like generated content).
But perhaps more revealing is what people aren’t using it for.
In a surprising twist, only about 4% of messages were related to coding, and even fewer were about relationships or companionship, two areas often hyped in discussions around AI.
One of the most significant findings from the study was the age breakdown of its users.
“They said nearly half of all messages sent by adult users were from users 18 to 25,” Roetzer notes, highlighting a critical demographic shift. “The people who are getting the value from these tools are the younger generation.”
This is the first generation that will have no memory of education or life without an on-demand AI assistant. Roetzer says there are likely to be downstream impacts of that on businesses. The concentration of advanced AI skills within this younger demographic signals a fundamental change coming to the future of work and the economy.
While much of the business world focuses on using AI to automate tasks, the study points to a more profound value proposition.
A key way that value is being created, according to the study, is also through decision support. ChatGPT is actively helping improve judgment and productivity, especially in knowledge-intensive jobs.
This aligns with Roetzer’s own anecdotal experience, and it’s likely an area where AI is going to create tremendous value moving forward. He finds that even among seasoned professionals, there remains a shocking lack of awareness about the advanced capabilities of today’s AI models. Roetzer routinely encounters audiences where the vast majority of people haven’t even tried out advanced reasoning models or deep research capabilities.
This gap suggests we are barely scratching the surface of using these tools as true cognitive copilots. The question is, what happens when that capability is adopted at scale?
The study’s most forward-looking conclusion may be its boldest. As I noted during our discussion, the report itself contains a powerful statement: “This widening adoption underscores our belief that access to AI should be treated as a basic right.”
Roetzer agrees, arguing that AI is quickly becoming a foundational utility, much like electricity or the internet.
“Intelligence is the new electricity, in essence,” he says. “I think that's how the labs think about it.”