How People Use ChatGPT
From 1 million to 700 million users in just 2.5 years. A data-driven exploration of the fastest-growing technology in history.
Unprecedented Growth
ChatGPT reached 1 million users in just 5 days. Within 2.5 years, it grew to 700 million weekly active users—representing roughly 10% of all adults globally. This growth trajectory surpasses every major technology platform that came before it.
Closing the Gender Gap
Early adoption skewed heavily masculine (80% in January 2023). By mid-2025, usage became nearly balanced, with feminine users actually comprising 52% of the user base—a remarkable shift in just 2.5 years.
From Work Tool to Life Companion
While ChatGPT initially gained traction as a work productivity tool, usage has dramatically shifted toward personal and creative applications. By mid-2025, 73% of messages in our dataset were for non-work purposes.
What People Actually Ask About
In our dataset, the top three use cases—Practical Guidance (29%), Seeking Information (24%), and Writing (24%)—account for over three-quarters of all interactions. Technical help, despite early hype, represents just 5% of observed usage.
Asking vs. Doing
At work, people predominantly use ChatGPT for "doing" (56%)—generating content, writing code, creating documents. For personal use, the split is more balanced between "asking" questions and "doing" tasks.
Who Uses AI at Work?
Work usage varies significantly by occupation and education level. Computer and math professionals lead at 57% work usage, while non-professional workers show 40% work adoption—demonstrating ChatGPT’s broad applicability across the labor market.
Education Matters, But Not How You’d Think
Graduate degree holders show only marginally higher work usage (48%) compared to those with less than a bachelor’s degree (37%). The gap is narrower than most would expect, suggesting ChatGPT is democratizing access to AI-powered productivity.
The Democratization of AI
Unlike previous technology waves that primarily benefited knowledge workers, ChatGPT’s adoption spans education levels and occupations. The relatively small gap between professional and non-professional workers (57% vs 40%) suggests AI assistance is becoming a universal tool—not an elite privilege.