Did you know that 🌍 one in ten adults worldwide now use ChatGPT?
The new study, How People Use ChatGPT, released on September 15th, analyzed 1.1 million conversations to reveal exactly how people interact with AI chatbots. It was the first comprehensive analysis of user conversations with AI.
The findings are very valuable for small business owners looking to learn from patterns and trends in AI chatbot usage.
Today, we’ll explore practical insights from this study that you can apply right away to your business.
🗨️ The Three Ways We Talk to AI Chatbots
The study found that nearly all ChatGPT interactions fall into three main categories:
🔹 Asking (seeking advice or information)
Like a search engine, but more personalized.
This represents over 55% of business conversations.
💬 “How do I create a budget for this quarter?”
💬 “What are the key steps to manage cash flow for a small business?”
🔹 Doing (having ChatGPT complete tasks for you)
This turns ChatGPT into your virtual assistant, accounting for 36% of business conversations.
💬 “Forecast demand for my product based on last year data.”
💬 “Summarize this 10-page report into five key bullet points.”
🔹 Expressing (sharing feelings or ideas)
Rare in work contexts, representing less than 9% of business conversations.
💬 “I feel overwhelmed by my to-do list.”
📊 Key Statistics for Small Businesses
Here are key business-related statistics from the study:
- 💼 30% of all ChatGPT queries are work-related, with the highest usage among management and business roles.
- 🎯 90%+ of work conversations fall into four categories:
- ✍️ Writing
- 💡 Practical guidance
- 🧑💻 Technical help
- 🔍 Information seeking
- ✍️ Writing tasks dominate, making up 42% of work messages, mostly editing rather than starting from scratch.
📈 AI Trends by Occupation
A recent study explored how different professions are using ChatGPT, grouping jobs into five main categories, ranked by highest to lowest usage:
💻 Computer-related → 📊 Management & Business → ⚙️ Engineering & Science → 🧑⚖️ Other Professional Fields → 🎸 Nonprofessional Roles
Key Insights:
- ⚙️ Tech, Engineering, and Science Roles
ChatGPT is used mainly for technical problem-solving, decision support, and coding help, rather than writing reports or polishing documents. - 📊 Management & Business Leaders
These groups lean heavily on ChatGPT for writing tasks, like drafting reports, proposals, and communications.
The Most Surprising Finding:
ChatGPT is consistently used across nearly every occupation.
- 🧠 Decision-making and problem-solving always rank first and second.
- 📝 Documenting information stays near the top.
- 🎨 Creative thinking typically comes in third.
No matter the field, ChatGPT has become a go-to tool for making decisions, solving problems, organizing information, and boosting creativity.
🌟 Key Takeaways for SMEs
⚡ Use AI as an Assistant.
Task execution is AI chatbot’s core value proposition, from forecasting to creating marketing campaigns and business solutions.
🤝 Pair Questions with Action.
Ask AI chatbots to analyze problems, then generate custom plans and resources.
✍️ Writing Leads AI Chatbot Use.
AI chatbots excel at business writing, especially refining documents and generating first drafts. Learn to write with AI.
🎨 AI Chatbots Can Boost Creativity.
Tap AI for fresh ideas, cross-industry inspiration, and innovative marketing strategies.
🎭 Use Role-Based Prompts.
Frame requests like “As a marketing manager…” to get tailored, expert-level results.
📖 Find examples of prompts and use cases in the full article: AI Strategies for Business.
🔴 Your Turn
How do you interact with AI chatbots?
Do you seek information, ask them to complete tasks, or share your thoughts and feelings?
What kinds of topics do you discuss?
I’d love to hear from you!
📧 Send me an email at natalia@nataliabrattan.com.
Talk soon,
Natalia