One-Third of College-Age Young Adults Use ChatGPT: Report
Credit: Gabby Jones / Bloomberg / Getty Images- One-third of college-age young adults in the U.S. now use ChatGPT, according to its creator OpenAI.
- OpenAI analyzed ChatGPT user data to find that young adults largely use ChatGPT as a learning tool.
- Starting papers and projects, summarizing texts, brainstorming creative projects, and exploring topics are the top uses for ChatGPT among young adults.
- Arizona, California, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia are the top five states for AI adoption.
ChatGPT has changed the educational landscape since its debut a little over two years ago.
Professors and institutions scrambled to implement artificial intelligence (AI) policies, and students weighed how they would use the technology that can help with everything from drafting essays to solving complex math problems.
Today, about a third of people between the ages of 18 and 24 use ChatGPT, according to a new report from its creator OpenAI.
OpenAI analyzed its own user data to get a picture of where and how college-age people are using ChatGPT. The findings paint a picture of widespread use of the large language model as a virtual assistant for classes and homework.
“More than any other use case, more than any other kind of user, college-age young adults in the U.S. are embracing ChatGPT, and they’re doing so to learn,” Leah Belsky, vice president for education at OpenAI, wrote in the report.
Young Adults Use AI as a Learning Tool
Young adults are using ChatGPT as a tool for writing and problem-solving, according to the OpenAI report.
More than 40% of current ChatGPT users used the technology for starting papers and projects, summarizing texts, brainstorming creative projects, and exploring topics, according to the report.
Mathematical problem-solving, exam prep, and academic research were other common uses for ChatGPT.
OpenAI said many students are ahead of their universities in terms of adopting AI.
“Many college and university students are teaching themselves and their friends about AI without waiting for their institutions to provide formal AI education or clear policies about the technology’s use,” Belsky wrote.
“The education ecosystem is in an important moment of exploration and learning, but the rapid adoption by students across the country who haven’t received formalized instruction in how and when to use the technology creates disparities in AI access and knowledge.”
The lagging of higher education institutions on AI isn’t surprising. While many institutions have ramped up AI investments and doubled down on the technology in the past few years, students have repeatedly said they wish their college gave them more AI instruction.
Recent research from Hult International Business School found that recent college graduates aren’t prepared for their current jobs in today’s tech-focused landscape. A survey of recent U.S. college graduates found that only 24% of them said they had the skills they need for their current job.
Students have repeatedly indicated in previous surveys that they wish their college program gave them more AI instruction.
A 2024 report from the Cengage Group found that recent college graduates overwhelmingly said they wanted more AI instruction, and many were worried about how AI would affect their careers.
The actual numbers of young adults using AI is almost certainly even higher than a third.
OpenAI’s report only looks at ChatGPT. While that might be the most popular AI, other major tech companies have debuted competitive models. Those include Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and X’s Grok.
College AI Partnerships Boost Adoption
The top states for ChatGPT usage among young adults aren’t all that surprising. Major hubs for tech companies like California, New York, and New Jersey all ranked in the top five.
Those states are all home to major universities with AI efforts.
OpenAI is based out of San Francisco and recently partnered with the California State University system to bring AI tools to half-a-million students. That’s the largest ChatGPT implementation by any single organization across the globe.
New York City, home to major tech-focused university programs like Columbia University and the New York University Stern School of Business, announced a partnership with OpenAI to support the city’s AI investments.
The OpenAI report also noted that the State University of New York system plans to include AI education in its general education requirements starting in fall 2026.
Virginia also made the top five. Northern Virginia is one of the most concentrated tech markets in the U.S. It’s also home to the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, one of the leading business schools for AI ethics in the country.
Darden recently launched an AI ethics institute to leverage its longstanding expertise in business ethics into the rapidly changing AI market.
Arizona also landed in the top five states for AI adoption, likely reflecting OpenAI’s efforts in the state.
Arizona State University (ASU) was the first higher education institution to partner with OpenAI, expanding AI access and instruction to students. ASU President Michael M. Crow, at the time, emphasized the importance of the technology.
“ASU recognizes that augmented and artificial intelligence systems are here to stay, and we are optimistic about their ability to become incredible tools that help students to learn, learn more quickly, and understand subjects more thoroughly,” Crow said.
ASU has since debuted AI-focused bachelor’s and master’s degrees as part of its bid to lead in the field of AI.
The report calls on states to boost access to AI tools and improve student AI literacy, saying it is “essential for students’ future success.”
“Our survey shows that while 3 in 4 higher ed students want AI training, only 1 in 4 universities and colleges provide it,” the report reads.