This episode dives into the findings of the largest study to date on consumer ChatGPT usage, a groundbreaking analysis conducted by OpenAI’s Economic Research team and Harvard economist David Deming. We explore the reality of the AI revolution, which involves 700 million weekly active users sending 2.6 billion daily messages.

The research reveals that ChatGPT is truly a democratizing force. We discuss how the early gender gap has vanished, with users who have typically feminine names rising to 52% of the active user base by July 2025, and why adoption rates are growing over four times faster in low- and middle-income countries compared to the highest-income countries.

Contrary to the dominant narrative that generative AI is primarily a tool for programming (which accounts for only 4.2% of messages), the study highlights the "real big three" use cases, which collectively dominate nearly 80% of conversations: practical guidance, writing, and seeking information.

Crucially, we analyze the shift in user intent: nearly half of all messages (49%) are classified as "Asking" for advice and information to inform decisions, rather than “Doing” tasks (40%). This pattern highlights AI's core value as a decision support system or "co-pilot," particularly in knowledge-intensive jobs. This widespread usage outside of formal work (which accounts for over 70% of consumer messages) is generating significant unmeasured economic value, estimated to be at least $97 billion in consumer surplus in the US alone in 2024.

Read more: https://theurb.co/chatgpt-usage