OpenAI reveals what its 700 million users are asking ChatGPT

OpenAI just dropped the largest-ever study on ChatGPT usage, pulling back the curtain on what its 700 million weekly active users are actually doing with the AI. The research analysed a staggering 1.5 million conversations, and it suggests that the app is quickly becoming a general consumer tool rather than something that’s used in the workplace.

The AI chatbot is apparently becoming more of a personal assistant

It turns out most people are using ChatGPT for their personal lives. Non-work-related messages now make up over 72 per cent of all interactions, a huge jump from just 53 per cent in June of last year. Consequently, work queries have slumped from 47 per cent to around 27 per cent of total conversations. The app is also processing an insane number of requests, hitting over 2.6 billion messages daily as of June 2025.

ALSO READ: 4 unique ways to create with Gemini Nano Banana

As for usage, the top three comprise seeking information, getting practical guidance, and writing assistance, which together account for nearly 78 per cent of all messages. Using the chatbot as a search engine is a particularly fast-growing habit, climbing from 14 per cent to 24.4 per cent of conversations in just one year.

But when it is indeed used for work, writing is king, making up 42 per cent of professional chats. Interestingly, users prefer asking the AI to edit existing text more rather than generating it from scratch.

This trend towards personal use puts ChatGPT in stark contrast with its rival, Anthropic’s Claude. Separate research shows Claude is the go-to for serious work tasks, with coding dominating a massive 36 per cent of its usage. On ChatGPT, coding barely registers, accounting for a tiny 4.2 per cent of chats. This suggests the AI market might be splitting into complementary niches instead of a head-to-head brawl.

The user base itself has also evolved dramatically. What started off as a roughly 80 per cent male audience has now reached near-perfect gender parity, with users identifying with feminine names making up a 52 per cent majority as of July 2025. It’s also a young crowd, with a huge 46 per cent of users being between the ages of 18 and 25.