Introduction to ChatGPT
ChatGPT has reached 700 million weekly users, with over 2.5 billion messages sent every day. This means one in ten adults on the planet uses ChatGPT every week. A recent NBER paper analyzed millions of conversations to understand how people use ChatGPT.
How People Use ChatGPT
The reality of ChatGPT usage is different from the hype. Over 70% of ChatGPT use is non-work related. People use it for cooking advice, fitness planning, or learning guitar chords. This shift in usage is a quiet revolution, with economists estimating the annual consumer surplus in the US alone at $97 billion.
ChatGPT as an Editor
Two-thirds of all writing requests on ChatGPT are for editing, not creating content. People use ChatGPT to fix drafts, translate emails, or make their writing sound smarter. This shifts the story from "AI as a replacement" to "AI as a refinement tool."
Asking Beats Doing
The researchers split ChatGPT use into three buckets: Asking, Doing, and Expressing. Asking makes up half of all usage and is growing faster, with higher satisfaction rates. People want AI to think with them, not just do things for them.
Demographic Shifts
The gender gap in ChatGPT usage closed quickly, with women now being just as likely, if not more, to be regular users. The fastest growth in ChatGPT usage is in low- and middle-income countries, making AI a leveling tool.
AI as a Universal Toolkit
ChatGPT is used for core activities like making decisions, solving problems, and documenting information, regardless of the field. About 81% of work-related conversations map back to these fundamentals. AI is becoming a cognitive toolkit that plugs into the core of how people think and work.
Education and AI
Tutoring and teaching make up over 10% of all ChatGPT usage. People use ChatGPT to learn new skills, get tailored explanations, or dive into hobbies. This could be the start of a new education layer that is always available, cheap, and personalized.
Conclusion
AI is not replacing people but blending into how we think and learn. ChatGPT is helping people ask better questions, refine their ideas, and make decisions. The real revolution is not machines thinking for us, but machines helping us think better.
FAQs
- How many people use ChatGPT every week?
ChatGPT has 700 million weekly users. - What is the main use of ChatGPT?
Over 70% of ChatGPT use is non-work related, with people using it for everyday life tasks like cooking advice, fitness planning, or learning guitar chords. - How does ChatGPT help with writing?
Two-thirds of all writing requests on ChatGPT are for editing, not creating content. People use ChatGPT to fix drafts, translate emails, or make their writing sound smarter. - Is ChatGPT used more for asking or doing?
Asking makes up half of all ChatGPT usage and is growing faster, with higher satisfaction rates. - How is AI impacting education?
Tutoring and teaching make up over 10% of all ChatGPT usage, with people using it to learn new skills, get tailored explanations, or dive into hobbies.
