{"id":1361,"date":"2026-05-28T12:30:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T12:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/future-proof-with-ai\/?p=1361"},"modified":"2026-05-28T12:30:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T12:30:40","slug":"heres-what-people-actually-do-with-chatgpt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/future-proof-with-ai\/heres-what-people-actually-do-with-chatgpt\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s What People Actually Do With ChatGPT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Data-driven insights on the shift from cool tool to global utility<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you look at the headlines about tools like Claude Code and OpenAI Codex, or hear about programmers using LLMs to reach unprecedented levels of efficiency, you might think that everyone is starting to use AI to write computer code, turning prompts into programs and programmers into managers of machines. However, the recent NBER working paper \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nber.org\/papers\/w34255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How People Use ChatGPT<\/a>,\u201d co-written by HBS AI Institute Associate <a href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/associates-program\/research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Deming<\/a>, tells a very different story. If the dominant use case isn\u2019t code generation, then the value proposition of AI looks quite different than many assume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why This Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This research highlights that one of ChatGPT\u2019s primary values in the workplace is decision support, a universal need that transcends specific job titles or industries. Whether in sales, engineering, or management, professionals are using AI to interpret information and solve problems more effectively. Business leaders and executives must recognize that AI adoption isn\u2019t just a technical upgrade for the IT department, it\u2019s a fundamental shift in how every employee processes information and executes decisions. Part of the strategic imperative then is to understand what questions your people are bringing to it, and whether those questions are the right ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/heres-what-people-actually-do-with-chatgpt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Link to the HBS AI Institute Insight Article<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nber.org\/papers\/w34255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Link to the Research Paper<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/#join-our-community\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with HBS AI Institute news and research<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Data-driven insights on the shift from cool tool to global utility; ChatGPT Data-Driven Insights<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19452,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_trash_the_other_posts":false,"rkv_hide_featured_image":false,"rkv_hide_page_title":false,"rkv_hide_abstract_shapes":true,"rkv_reduce_header":false,"hbsd3_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/1196009887","hbsd3_featured_media_url_autoplay":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"tax_cop":[],"rkv-people-shadow":[8],"insight_type":[],"class_list":["post-1361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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