We still don’t know how people are really using AI
A new study by the AI Observatory suggests that public use of generative AI is significantly different from the productivity-focused narratives promoted by AI companies. Researchers found that personal, social, and sensitive topics make up a much larger portion of user interactions than corporate reports indicate.
Why it matters
Understanding how people actually use AI is critical for policymakers and researchers to assess the true societal risks and benefits of these technologies.
But a new study shows that work use cases make up less of the picture than AI companies claim.
AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI regularly publish reports on how people are using products like Claude and ChatGPT, but they only release the data they want us to see, AI researchers say.
“There is no independent source to corroborate it,” says Anka Reuel, a Computer Science PhD candidate at the Stanford Trustworthy AI Research (STAIR) Lab.
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