OpenAI research: workers use AI for cross-occupation tasks, and some stick

How workers are unlocking new ways of working

OpenAI analyzed over 1.5M work-related ChatGPT messages from April–July 2026. Workers prompt AI differently for tasks outside their occupation: shorter prompts, fewer requests for explanations, but more examples and background provided. Among ~6,200 consistently observed workers, cross-occupation AI activity rose from 13.1% in April to 25.9% in July. Highest next-month return rates were customer discussions (54%), ad writing (44%), and marketing materials (37%); explaining financial info was 15%. The post doesn't disclose which industries or company sizes are in the sample, or whether reporting was voluntary.