NBER study reveals steep decline in professional use; surge in education and everyday assistance
Washington / Hyderabad: The way people use ChatGPT has undergone a remarkable shift over the past year. According to a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), professional use of the popular AI tool has declined sharply, while personal and educational use has surged, reshaping the role of generative AI in daily life.
Work vs. Non-Work Usage: The Big Shift
The study, based on 1.5 million conversations between May 2024 and June 2025, found:
- Work-related use fell from 47% to 27%.
- Non-work use climbed from 53% to 73%.
- Coding-related queries dropped from 8% to 4.2%.
- Emotional or personal chats increased slightly from 1% to 1.9%.
In essence, ChatGPT is no longer viewed primarily as a workplace productivity tool; instead, it is being woven into education, self-guidance, and everyday problem-solving.
Why Work Usage Declined
Experts cite multiple factors behind the decline in professional use:
- Data Security Concerns: Many companies restricted or banned employee use of ChatGPT due to fears of sensitive information leakage.
- Emergence of Specialized AI Tools: Professionals in coding, writing, and analytics increasingly rely on domain-specific tools like GitHub Copilot or Grammarly.
- Trust and Reliability Issues: Inaccuracy and the risk of “hallucinated” answers limited ChatGPT’s adoption in critical business workflows.
- Corporate AI Integration: Firms are developing in-house AI assistants fine-tuned on proprietary data, reducing dependence on general-purpose chatbots.
The Rise of Personal and Educational Use
While workplace adoption slowed, non-professional use grew rapidly:
- Education: Students rely heavily on ChatGPT for assignments, exam preparation, and concept learning.
- Everyday Assistance: People use it for travel planning, cooking tips, fitness guidance, and other daily tasks.
- Writing Aid: From drafting emails to editing resumes, ChatGPT has become a go-to assistant for personal productivity.
- Emotional Support: A small but growing share of users engage with the AI for companionship or stress relief.
India’s Distinct Story
India stands out in the global picture. Reports suggest that 92% of Indian workplaces have integrated ChatGPT in some form, far higher than the global average. However, NBER’s work-vs-non-work usage data reflects broader global patterns rather than India-specific statistics.
Key trends in India:
- Young User Base: Nearly half of ChatGPT’s Indian users are under 24.
- Education-Focused Usage: Students dominate usage for learning and assignments.
- Urban Concentration: Metro cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Chennai lead in adoption.
- Regional Curiosity: States like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana show particularly high interest in AI-driven learning.
ChatGPT is transitioning from being an office assistant to a personal guide. The decline in professional use reflects caution and specialization, while the surge in personal use shows how deeply AI is embedding itself into everyday life.
