Source
Harvard Gazette
Summary
A large new working paper by David Deming and OpenAI economists finds that usage of ChatGPT for work and school is less dystopian than feared — more “wholesome and practical” — though with important caveats. Instead of fully outsourcing assignments, people tend to use AI as an assistant: to brainstorm, revise, or check ideas, not to replace thinking. The study also charts how adoption is closing gender and geographic gaps, and classifies message types (information requests, “practical guidance”, document editing). But the authors caution that while the patterns are not alarming, they don’t yet support dramatic claims of productivity leaps or wholesale job displacement.
Key Points
- Rather than rampant cheating, the researchers observe AI being used as a partner rather than a substitute.
- By mid-2025, ~10 % of global adults were users; adoption among women has caught up to men.
- AI message types are diversifying: personal, informational, and work-related uses each comprise substantial shares.
- Writing tasks (summarising, editing) have declined as share of use, replaced more by “practical guidance” and informational queries.
- The findings suggest the narrative of AI as a rampant cheat tool is overblown — but it’s too soon to predict strong productivity gains.
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URL
Summary generated by ChatGPT 5
