This Is How People Actually Use ChatGPT, According To New Research

What do people actually use ChatGPT for?

It’s a question that has lingered since the tool first went viral back in 2022. Now, a new research paper from OpenAI sheds light on user behavior by analyzing a sample of 1.1 million messages from active ChatGPT users between May 2024 to July 2025.

The findings, summarized by Visual Capitalist in a helpful visualization by Made Visual Daily, show that ChatGPT’s core appeal is utility: helping users solve real-world problems, write better, and find information fast.

How People Use ChatGPT

The table below summarizes the major use categories identified in the study:

Over 55% of ChatGPT prompts fell into either learning or productivity-related tasks. Users often turn to the chatbot for help understanding concepts, writing emails, summarizing articles, or coding. A wide base of users are using the tool as a digital assistant, tutor, or research aide.

Meanwhile, niche categories like roleplaying and entertainment make up a smaller but meaningful slice. These uses include things like fictional storytelling, game design, and writing fan fiction. Their growth points to ChatGPT’s creative potential beyond functional tasks.

Why This Study Matters

This is the first large-scale analysis that classifies how ChatGPT is actually used, rather than relying on anecdotal evidence or surveys. It also reveals how people across professions—from marketers to software developers—are integrating AI into their daily workflows.

Another key insight? Most people still use the free version of ChatGPT. Only about 10% of the prompts analyzed came from paid users of GPT-4, suggesting that even the free-tier model is driving widespread productivity.

Want to see how ChatGPT compares to other AI tools in terms of market share? Check out ChatGPT Dominates AI Market Share on the Voronoi app.