AI news · OpenAI · ChatGPT usage
OpenAI data shows writing fell to 21 per cent of ChatGPT requests
OpenAI’s monthly usage files show people now ask ChatGPT for practical advice more than for writing, and the work share fell to about a third.
Writing used to be the top reason people opened ChatGPT. It has slipped to second place. OpenAI’s latest usage files, version 3.0 of its Signals data released on 26 October 2026, show writing fell from 34.1 per cent of consumer messages in July 2024 to 21.4 per cent in September 2026, PPC Land reports. Practical guidance, such as how-to advice and tutoring, now leads at 28.1 per cent. Requests for images and other media grew more than fourfold to 8.8 per cent. Messages about work fell to 32.2 per cent, from just over half in July 2024.
OpenAI samples 1 million consumer messages each month from adults on its Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans, and an AI model sorts each one by topic; company accounts and the Codex coding agent are excluded. Looking up information, which OpenAI’s definitions say covers questions about products for sale and recipes, reached 20.2 per cent in September after briefly passing writing in August, Search Engine Journal notes. The oldest users grew too: the over-65s sent 2.7 per cent of messages in September 2026, three times their July 2024 share, PPC Land adds.
The sample includes the Go plan, which our ChatGPT entry, read on 23 September 2026, records “may include ads”.
OpenAI counts product questions in the same category as facts and recipes, so the data does not show how many ChatGPT messages are the shopping questions an ad on Go would sit beside.
Sources
- PPC Land: Writing drops from 34% to 21% of ChatGPT requests since July 2024. Checked
- Search Engine Journal: ChatGPT Data: 1 In 5 Consumer Messages Now Seek Information. Checked
Alexandre S.
Alexandre S. is a creative ad strategist and copywriter with ten years' experience in digital marketing across multiple channels.