Ever wondered what people actually do when they open ChatGPT? 🤖
A 2025 study by OpenAI and researchers from Harvard (David Deming) analyzed over 1.5 million anonymized conversations to find out. This breakdown by @a16z Andreessen Horowitz perfectly visualizes that data, and the results might surprise you.
Here are the 3 biggest takeaways:
1. It’s a Personal Tutor & Coach: "Practical Guidance" is the #1 use case (28.3%). People aren't just asking for facts; they are looking for tutoring, "how-to" advice, and health/fitness coaching.
2. The Ultimate Editor: While "Writing" is a huge category (28.1%), the most common task within it isn't writing from scratch—it’s editing and critiquing existing text. ✍️
3. The New Search Engine: "Seeking Information" accounts for over 21% of use. Users are leaning on AI for specific, granular answers that traditional search engines often bury under ads.
The Origin Story:
This data comes from the official OpenAI paper: "Economic Research: How People Use
ChatGPT." It’s a fascinating look at how LLMs are shifting from "novelty" to "utility" in our daily lives.
We are moving away from "searching" for information and toward "collaborating" with it.