Technologies

Most People Use ChatGPT for Personal Life, Not Work, According to a New OpenAI Study

More than 70% of all consumer ChatGPT messages are non-work-related.

When ChatGPT first launched in November 2022, parent company OpenAI pitched it as a productivity tool and a game-changer for delegating menial work tasks, such as responding to emails or writing memos. OpenAI just released a new paper looking into how hundreds of millions of people globally actually use ChatGPT, and the results show a striking shift in how people use it. What started as a work assistant is now a tool people use for their personal lives.

In mid-2024, nearly half of all conversations on ChatGPT were job-related. By mid-2025, that number had fallen to just over a quarter.

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That doesn’t mean people are using the chatbot less. ChatGPT has about 700 million weekly active users worldwide, sending more than 2.5 billion messages per day or about 29,000 messages per second, according to the report by the National Bureau of Economic Research and contributors from OpenAI, Duke University and Harvard University.

In short, more and more people are using the platform — just not for work-related queries.

Read also: OpenAI Wants You to Get a Certificate in ChatGPT and Find Your Next Job

The paper describes a shift away from asking ChatGPT to perform tasks, such as writing text, toward users asking it questions. For instance, «writing help comprised more than a third of usage last year. Now, it’s closer to a quarter.»

Meanwhile, «seeking information» has grown from 14% to 24% of all conversations, meaning people use ChatGPT more as a search engine replacement for information and guidance.

«Overall, our findings suggest that ChatGPT has a broad-based impact on the global economy,» the paper states. «The fact that non-work usage is increasing faster suggests that the welfare gains from generative AI usage could be substantial.»

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against ChatGPT maker OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Who is driving this change

The OpenAI paper also looks into the demographics behind these inquiries:

Gender: Early users skewed heavily male. In January 2024, only 37% of users had names that are typically considered feminine. As of July 2025, that group has grown to 52% of all users, meaning women (or those with feminine names) use the system at roughly equal or slightly higher rates than men.
Age: Nearly half (46%) of ChatGPT users self-reported that they are between 18 and 25. This younger demographic favors personal queries, such as asking about hobbies or seeking advice, while older users are more likely to use ChatGPT for work-related tasks.
Geography: ChatGPT usage is no longer concentrated in wealthier countries. The fastest growth is in lower-to-middle-income nations, where GDP per capita ranges roughly from $10,000 to $40,000, and smartphones are often the main gateway to the internet.
Education: Users with college degrees or higher are more likely to use ChatGPT for professional tasks. For instance, 37% of messages are work-related for users with less than a bachelor’s degree, 46% are work-related for users with a bachelor’s degree, and 48% are work-related for those with some graduate education. Non-degree users still engage heavily, mostly using the chatbot for everyday questions and support.
Occupation: The paper also found that users in highly paid professional and technical occupations are more likely to use ChatGPT for work.

Read also: OpenAI Adding Parental Controls to ChatGPT After Lawsuit Over Teen’s Death

Technologies

Tinder Users Must Start Logging In With Their Faces, Starting Nationwide

The social app now has new US requirements including face identification to help quell longstanding problems with catfishing and more.

US Tinder users will find a new feature when they open up the dating app starting Wednesday: A mandatory Face Check on their phones will be required before they can log into their profiles.

The Face Check step will begin with a new request to record a video of your face, a more casual version of setting up Apple’s Face ID login. Tinder will then run checks comparing your face data to your current profile pics and automatically create a small face badge for your profile. We already know how it works, because Tinder has already launched the feature in Canada and California before the full US rollout.

The technology, powered by FaceTec, will keep biometric data of the user’s face in encrypted form but discard the scanning video for privacy. Tinder will be able to use the face data to detect duplicate accounts, in an effort to cut down on fake profiles and identity theft.

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Tinder’s facial recognition rollout is also made to prevent catfishing, or people pretending to be someone else on Tinder to scam or blackmail them. But that also points to a deeper problem on the rise in dating apps — a growing number of bots, many controlled by AI, are designed to glean personal information or fool users into scammy subscriptions, among other problems.

Tinder’s working against these bots on several fronts, including this Face Check push as well as ID Check, which requires a government-issued ID and other types of photo verification.

The dating app also recently released a feature in June to enable double-dating with your friends, which Tinder reports is especially popular with Gen Z users. If you’re worried about the latest hazards on Tinder, we have guide to safety practices.

A representative for Tinder did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Oct. 23

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 23.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Like some weather, memories and I.P.A.s
Answer: HAZY

5A clue: Statement that’s self-evidently true
Answer: AXIOM

7A clue: Civic automaker
Answer: HONDA

8A clue: What fear leads to, as Yoda told a young Anakin
Answer: ANGER

9A clue: Foxlike
Answer: SLY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Verbal «lol»
Answer: HAHA

2D clue: Brain signal transmitter
Answer: AXON

3D clue: Hits with a witty comeback
Answer: ZINGS

4D clue: Sing at the top of a mountain, maybe
Answer: YODEL

6D clue: Name of the famous «Queen of Scots»
Answer: MARY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: