WorkJuly 27, 2026via The Decoder
OpenAI says more workers are using ChatGPT to do other people's jobs
Why it matters
OpenAI's analysis reveals a structural shift in workplace skill distribution: AI is enabling task crossover that traditionally required specialized expertise, with implications for workforce composition, hiring, and skill gatekeeping in small-to-mid market businesses.
Key signals
- 800,000+ work-related ChatGPT messages analyzed
- 43.5% of job-specific queries involve tasks from other professions
- Trend most pronounced at small businesses
- OpenAI term: 'task crossover'
- Signals workforce displacement and skill democratization dynamics
The hook
43.5%. That's the share of work tasks ChatGPT users are borrowing from other professions—and it's reshaping how small businesses operate.
OpenAI analyzed over 800,000 work-related ChatGPT messages and found that 43.5 percent of job-specific queries involve tasks from other professions. The company calls this "task crossover." The trend is most pronounced at small businesses, where users increasingly handle specialized work without dedicated experts.