How people are using ChatGPT

We’re releasing the largest study to date of how people are using ChatGPT, offering a first-of-its-kind view into how this broadly democratized technology creates economic value through both increased productivity at work and personal benefit. 

The findings show that consumer adoption has broadened beyond early-user groups, shrinking the gender gap in particular; that most conversations focus on everyday tasks like seeking information and practical guidance; and that usage continues to evolve in ways that create economic value through both personal and professional use. This widening adoption underscores our belief that access to AI should be treated as a basic right—a technology that people can access to unlock their potential and shape their own future.

The study, a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper by OpenAI’s Economic Research team and Harvard economist David Deming, draws on a large-scale, privacy-preserving analysis of 1.5 million conversations to track how consumer usage has evolved since ChatGPT’s launch three years ago. Given the sample size and 700 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, this is the most comprehensive study of actual consumer use of AI ever released. Notably, while the study covers consumer plans only, the results still highlight the creation of economic value both at work and outside of work.

Some of the paper’s key takeaways:

Who’s using it 

Usage gaps are closing as we increasingly democratize AI. As of mid-2025, ChatGPT’s early gender gaps have narrowed dramatically, with adoption resembling the general adult population. In January 2024, among users with names that could be classified as either masculine or feminine, 37% had typically feminine names. By July 2025, that share had risen to more than half (52%).