“OpenAI, with some help from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), set out to figure out what exactly its growing user base is getting up to with its chatbot. It found a surprising amount of personal use and a closing “gender gap” among its frequent users.”

“In an NBER working paper authored by the OpenAI Economic Research team and Harvard economist David Deming, the researchers found that about 80% of all ChatGPT usage falls under one of three categories: “Practical Guidance,” “Seeking Information,” and “Writing.” “Practical guidance,” which the study found to be the most common usage, includes things like “tutoring and teaching, how-to advice about a variety of topics, and creative ideation,” whereas “seeking information” is viewed as a substitute for traditional search. “Writing” included the automated creation of emails, documents, and other communications, as well as editing and translating text.”

“For what it’s worth, other researchers seem to believe that this usage is far more common than those numbers might suggest. Common Sense Media, for instance, found that about one in three teens use AI chatbots for social interaction and relationships. Another study found that about half of all adult users have used a chatbot for “psychological support” in the last year.”