A recent report on OpenAI's ChatGPT usage reveals that more than 70% of conversations are unrelated to work, with about 40% of work-related dialogues focusing on writing assistance. The report also highlights a user trend toward employing different AI platforms depending on their needs, as competition intensifies among OpenAI, Alphabet Inc., and Anthropic.
Gemini tops download charts
Alphabet's Gemini app recently topped Apple iPhone's free download charts, sparking discussions in the market about ChatGPT's position as the leading AI application. While Gemini's recent nano banana image generation feature has substantially driven its growth, user feedback suggests it does not outperform ChatGPT in all aspects. ChatGPT is reported to deliver a warmer tone in text and voice, whereas Gemini's style is considered more formal and distant. However, infrastructure limitations have constrained ChatGPT's image and video processing capabilities compared to Gemini's strong performance in these areas.
User preferences drive platform switching
Users often switch between ChatGPT and Gemini, with some canceling paid subscriptions for one service after finding the other more convenient. Perplexity is also viewed as a complementary platform to these two major AI tools. In the programming domain, Anthropic's Claude is regarded as the most trusted option. The ChatGPT report indicates that only 4.2% of its usage involves programming development, whereas over 30% of Claude users' interactions relate to programming and IT tasks, underscoring their different user bases.
Specialization emerges despite multimodal claims
Despite marketing themselves as general-purpose AI with multimodal functions—including text, image, and code generation—each platform tends to excel in specific areas. Smaller providers like Cursor and Canva have carved out niches by specializing in programming development and graphic design, respectively.
The evolving landscape of generative AI suggests that hybrid applications and "user churn" may become standard features of the market. Providers face ongoing challenges in retaining users without excessively relying on free services while striving to increase revenue from AI offerings. For users, the expansion of choice broadens options but underscores the fragmented nature of AI usage today.
Article edited by Jerry Chen
