This study into how people use Gen AI in 2025 compared to 2024 is fascinating and…

This study into how people use Gen AI in 2025 compared to 2024 is fascinating and leaves me with a number of thoughts and questions...

Generating new ideas has dropped from 1st to 6th place. Have we become tired of the "ideas" Gen AI comes up with? Has it taken the fun out of creative thinking?

Editing text has plummeted from 4th to 45th. Have we have grown bored of the predictable text it produces? Have we become wary of how detectable it is to others?

Enhanced learning has risen, whereas personalised learning has plummeted. Have we started to feel that it's not really personalising to us in a way another human would do (even if they get it wrong at times)?

Improving code has rocketed up from 19th to 8th. I don't think this will be a surprise to anyone in the tech industry.

And no doubt, all of this is a reflection of the fact people are becoming more aware of its limitations and capabilities. We're shifting from trying to use it for everything, to using it where we feel it makes the most difference. And increasignly as a personal tool.

You can see this in 4 of the top 10 use cases, which are related to "Personal & Professional Support".

1st place: Therapy / companionship (2nd last year)
2nd place: Organising my life (new use case)
3rd place: Finding purpose (new use case)
10th place: Healthier living (75th last year)

This should be a great thing. But it also leaves me feeling concerned.

We know these are issues that are on the rise across many cultures.

Is the very technology we are using to try and figure these things out, part of the problem as to why they are becoming more profound in the first place?

Are we falling into a trap of talking to technology, when we should be talking to people?

Are we feeling more disconnected, despite being more "connected"?

Are we feeling that we are lacking purpose, because so much that we didn't know before is now at our finger tips?

It will be different for all of us. And whatever the answer is, I just think it's something we should be aware off.

Technology should be an enhancement, not a hinderance to our lives.
It should help us live happier and better existences.

I'm not suggesting the answer is to stop using it. But maybe we need to keep asking why we’re using it, and what it’s really giving us in return.

If Gen AI is becoming a tool for emotional or existential support, that’s not necessarily bad - but it probably deserves more of our attention as a result.

Are we using it to feel more in control, or more understood? And is it actually delivering on that?

I’d love to hear how others are experiencing this shift. What are you using it for now that you weren’t before? What have you stopped using it for? And how does it make you feel?

Credits (link in comments):
Infographic from HBR.
Study and datasource Filtered.(.)com, Marc Zao-Sanders, March 2025