A recent large-scale analysis of over 1.5 million messages from about 130,000 ChatGPT users (between May 2024 and mid-2025) sheds light on how usage patterns are changing. The report finds that most people use the tool more for personal tasks than work, and that everyday guidance, information-seeking, and writing dominate its use.
Key Findings
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Roughly 70% of all ChatGPT messages are non-work related. Only about 30% relate to job or professional tasks.
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The majority of use falls into three broad categories: seeking practical advice (e.g. “how to” or tutoring style guidance), gathering information (recipes, facts, current events), and writing-related tasks (drafting, editing, translating, etc.).
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Messages about coding or technical work represent a small fraction (around 4%) of total usage—much lower than one might assume.
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When asked, users are more likely to be “asking” questions or for advice rather than having the AI complete a task. About 49% of messages are in the “Asking” style; ~40% are “Doing” (task execution, content creation), and ~11% are “Expressing” (personal reflections, opinions, etc.).
Demographics & Trends
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Gender balance among users is much more equal than before. Now a slight majority of users have names usually associated with women, compared to earlier years when male-associated names dominated.
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ChatGPT use has grown rapidly in lower- and middle-income countries, faster than in many high-income ones.
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Younger people (especially ages 18-25) send many messages, though their use is less frequently work-related compared to older age groups.
What It Suggests
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ChatGPT is increasingly seen as a general life assistant rather than just a tool for productivity at work.
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Writing help and information retrieval are especially valued functions, likely because people want help simplifying or organizing tasks, generating content, or getting quick access to facts.
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Technical or coding tasks are still niche, indicating many users don’t rely on ChatGPT for deep engineering work or programming.
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As the user base broadens, so do use cases — more casual, personal usage rather than professional or technical workflows.
