New Research Reveals the Changing Purpose of Generative AI Usage
Have you ever wondered if everyone uses Generative AI for the same reasons you do?
A new study from filtered.com of the top 100 GenAI uses sees some surprises at the top, some favourites well down the list and a selection of uses that beg the question: What planet are they on?
There’s no denying there’s been a rapid evolution of GenAI applications over past year, with a transition from technical and productivity-driven usage toward personal well-being, life organisation and exploring existential questions.
In fact, GenAI is not just supporting decision-making and fuelling creativity, its number one use lies in providing emotional support.
What’s in the top 10?
Okay, brace yourself, here is the top 10:
- Therapy / companionship
- Organising my life
- Finding purpose
- Enhanced learning
- Generating code (for pros)
- Generating ideas
- Fun and nonsense
- Improving code (for pros)
- Creativity
- Healthier living
Of note are entries #2 and #3 that are debuting on the list, or coming in with a bullet as they say in the music charts. This illustrates the volatility you’d expect to with new technologies and markets.
The overall trend includes a rapid rise in professional and personal support usage, a small fall in content creation and larger fall in technical assistance / trouble shooting.
What’s interesting?
My favourite use cases include ‘cooking with what you have‘ at #15, surely a major value add when household budgets are stretched or you can’t be bothered going to the supermarket.
One user said, “I actually had it create a pantry list when I cleaned out my pantry so it knows what I have.”
Creating travel itineraries comes in at #24.
“I asked Chatgpt for an extensive vacation itinerary with many details such as rustic places to stay and to eat. Key things to see, and hidden gems, while minimising driving time. Output was perfect.”
And at #59 we have ‘understanding sex‘. I mean, who does? If you don’t feel comfortable asking another person about it then, hey, why not?
What planet are they on?
My personal favourites here are #31, Dungeons and Dragons. Niche.
Then there’s #33, interacting with the deceased. Sort of weird, but I get it.
Plus a range of tasks that express our day to day frustrations in life, such as:
- #20 Explaining legalese – a Nobel Prize winning application in my view
- #60 Making sense of academic papers – is that even possible?
- #78 Enabling better conversations with doctors – also a Herculean task!
I predict that one day there will be a machine learning application that deciphers doctor’s handwriting.
Conclusions
What to take out of it? The list is volatile and it will be interesting to see how it changes in coming years.
GenAI is a technology that will produce the biggest risks and opportunities for businesses that many of us will ever see in our lives.
It allows us to get closer to what we really want when we go online – instead of searching 50 websites or signing up to expensive or clunky services, we get ‘an’ answer that is useful as long as we recognise it is not necessarily ‘the’ answer.
In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins explains that technology is the means not the ends. It’s an accelerator of change. It’s what you do with it that counts.
GenAI is changing the nature of work and the way we function in society. It will be an exciting and scary ride at the same time.
There’s no greater time than the present to sharpen up change-management skills, gain clarity of direction and flesh out the positive impacts you intend to create in society.
Phil Preston is a speaker, facilitator and strategist who works at the intersection of business, leadership and society. He can be reached via hello@philpreston.com.au or +61 408 259 633.
