OpenAI has released its first detailed study on ChatGPT usage, revealing that most people use the chatbot for personal matters rather than work. The research shows that “practical guidance,” such as asking for how-to advice or help with schoolwork, is the most common reason people turn to the AI.
Gerrit De Vynck reports for the Washington Post that the study also highlights a significant demographic shift. The 62-page paper is based on 1.5 million user conversations from May 2024 to June 2025. While early adopters were predominantly male, the majority of users now have feminine names, and nearly half are between 18 and 25 years old.
According to OpenAI’s analysis, non-work related queries grew to constitute 73 percent of all conversations by June 2025. The second most popular use case after practical guidance was writing assistance. Users most frequently asked the AI to edit or critique existing text.
The study also notes a steady increase in people using ChatGPT as a substitute for traditional web search engines. This “seeking information” category grew throughout the study period, becoming the second most popular use for consumers by the end.
Conversations involving personal advice or role-playing, such as treating the chatbot as an “AI girlfriend,” represented a small fraction of interactions, accounting for 1.9 percent and 0.4 percent of chats respectively.