OpenAI Study Reveals How People Really Use ChatGPT: Women Now Represent Majority of Users

OpenAI has released its first comprehensive public study examining who uses ChatGPT and how they interact with the AI chatbot, revealing surprising insights about global adoption patterns and real-world applications. The 62-page research paper, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, analysed 1.5 million conversations between May 2024 and June 2025, providing unprecedented transparency into one of the world's most popular AI tools.

Most Common ChatGPT Use Cases

The study identified the primary ways people interact with ChatGPT, categorized into three main areas:

• Practical Guidance (Major Category) - Users seek tutoring, creative ideation, how-to advice, and general life assistance. This represents the largest category of interactions, showing people treat ChatGPT as a versatile problem-solving companion.

• Seeking Information (Close Second) - Many users have adopted ChatGPT as an alternative to traditional search engines, asking direct questions and seeking explanations on various topics.

• Writing Tasks (Third Major Category) - Surprisingly, about two-thirds of writing requests involve editing, critiquing, or translating existing text rather than creating new content from scratch, positioning ChatGPT more as an editorial assistant than a content generator.

• Programming (4.2% of conversations) - Despite significant media attention, coding assistance represents a relatively small portion of actual usage.

• Personal Expression (11% of messages) - Users engage in reflection, play, exploration, and casual conversation with the AI.

Key Demographic Shifts

The research revealed dramatic changes in ChatGPT's user base. Women now represent 52 percent of users as of July 2025, up from just 37 percent in January 2024, indicating the platform has successfully bridged early gender gaps.

Additionally, adoption rates in lower-income countries are now four times higher than in wealthier nations as of May 2025, demonstrating ChatGPT's growing global accessibility. This expansion was supported by initiatives like ChatGPT Go, a special subscription plan launched in India for Rs. 399 ($4.53).

The study also found that non-work-related usage has grown faster than professional applications, now accounting for over 70 percent of all conversations, challenging earlier perceptions of ChatGPT as primarily a business productivity tool.

Published on: Monday, September 22, 2025, 05:30 PM IST