ChatGPT 2025: 700M Users Transform Work and Daily Life

The new NBER study, led by OpenAI’s research team and Harvard economist David Deming, is the largest analysis of real usage data—1.5 million conversations, tracked between 2024 and 2025

What stood out to me:

• Adoption is now balanced. Early on, ChatGPT skewed male; by mid-2025, women slightly outnumber men among active users. That’s huge—it means AI is no longer just a tech-insider tool.

• It’s global. Usage in low- and middle-income countries is growing more than four times faster than in wealthy ones. Access really is spreading like electricity once did.

• Everyday tasks dominate. Nearly 80% of conversations are about practical guidance, information-seeking, or writing. Writing is the top work use case—especially editing and polishing text, not just drafting from scratch.

• Three patterns explain most interactions. People are Asking (49%) for advice or clarity, Doing (40%) by asking the model to complete tasks, or Expressing (11%) through reflection and play. And here’s the kicker: “Asking” is growing fastest, which means AI is becoming more of a decision-support partner than just a task robot.

• Economic value is broad. Only about 30% of usage is work-related. The other 70% is personal—but both generate real productivity and decision gains that GDP doesn’t fully capture.

Why this matters now

The big insight: ChatGPT isn’t just a workplace tool. It’s a universal advisor—helping with judgment calls, problem-solving, and everyday decisions. That makes it as much a personal technology as it is a professional one. If you’re leading a company, you need to think of AI adoption not as an IT rollout, but as equipping your people with a decision-enhancing assistant.

Your Turn

Pick one high-friction decision you make often—hiring shortlists, pricing options, even fitness planning—and run it through ChatGPT. Treat it as a co-pilot, not a ghostwriter. Then track: did it save you time, sharpen your judgment, or expand your options?

That’s how you’ll see the real economic value—step by step, decision by decision.

Let’s keep testing, learning, and scaling together.

—by Dr. Hernani Costa

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About Me:

I’m Dr. Hernani Costa, founder of First AI Movers, AI Transformation Strategist, and Educator. With a PhD and over 25 years of hands-on experience in technology, academia, AI consulting, business automation, and executive partnerships, I help leaders and founders unlock real business value through practical and ethical AI solutions.

You can learn from First AI Movers Daily Newsletter and explore in-depth articles and practical guides on the First AI Movers Insights Blog. Don’t forget to connect with me professionally on LinkedIn. For partnerships and collaboration opportunities, email [email protected]. Speak soon!