Most people are using ChatGPT to ask questions and get advice, new data from OpenAI revealed.

Although AI bots can do anything from coding to drafting emails or even playing, around 49% of the requests sent to ChatGPT since November 2022 were people asking the bot questions and looking for information, a report by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and OpenAI found.

It’s the biggest study of its kind and draws from the huge amount of data collected by OpenAI – around 10% of the world’s population is now thought to use the AI tool.

Although there was a steady growth in people using ChatGPT for work-related queries, more than 70% of all usage was non-work related, according to the report.

There’s also been a shift in who is using AI tools.

Early adopters of AI tended to be men, with around 80% of weekly users having typically masculine first names in the months after ChatGPT was released.

By June 2025, however, users were more likely to have typically female first names, something the authors described as a “dramatic shift”.

Anthropic AI, which runs the Claude AI chatbot, also released its own data on how customers are using AI.

It found that the use of AI strongly correlated with average incomes.

More affluent nations like Singapore and Canada were at the top end of countries using AI, while emerging economies like Indonesia, India and Nigeria, used Claude less.

In the US, economic differences even played out at state level, and Claude researchers found that adoption of the technology rose faster with income.

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Each 1% increase in state GDP was associated with a 1.8% increase in usage of AI.

Usage also reflected what those areas were best known for; in California, Claude was often used to help with IT problems, in Florida, it was used for financial services and in Washington DC it was used for document editing and career assistance.

AI literacy consultant Sarah J Lundrigan posted about the two reports, saying the “blunt truth” is: “If you’re still treating AI as ‘something to try later,’ you’re behind.

“The value isn’t in futuristic features – it’s in solving today’s friction points.

“The winners will be the ones who can simplify adoption, reduce overwhelm, and make AI part of how people work and live.”

In Nestlé’s R&D department, a tool is identifying entirely new kinds of high-barrier packaging materials. It’s generative AI. 

A growing number of consumer packaged goods companies are starting to deploy artificial intelligence in their packaging design processes. So too are packaging manufacturers exploring how the technology can save time and resources in design and manufacturing.

Nestlé’s researchers feed public and proprietary documents into a knowledge base. Then, they fine-tune the data using a transformer, together with IBM Research, to understand how molecular features in packaging correlate to physical properties. Finally, the AI-based model analyzes the inputs within the set parameters.

“It can identify appropriate materials that are suitable for protecting dry and sensitive foods such as coffee from moisture, temperature swings and oxygen,” a Nestlé spokesperson said via email.

While the use cases are nascent, AI is catching on. Last year, a McKinsey survey of more than 200 paper and packaging executives found that 95% said they believe their companies should invest in generative AI. And 77% said their firms have moderate to strong intentions to use gen AI in the near future. 

How packaging leaders and CPGs are using AI

Tom Egan, vice president of industry services for the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, or PMMI, sees “a pretty enthusiastic acceptance” of AI in the industry. He said applications range from logistics to sales and marketing to manufacturing. 

Here are some of the processes in which packaging companies and CPGs are starting to use AI.

New designs and prototypes

One of the notable potential benefits of AI — and among the biggest use cases being explored today — is the ability to assess packaging modifications or updates in a virtual environment.

When a client requests a new design from flexible packaging provider Tradepak, the company inputs the customer’s parameters into its systems, said President Rafael Recao. AI can rapidly pull from databases, synthesize data points, and deliver design and substrate recommendations. Then, packaging leaders make a final decision.

With simulation models and digital twins, AI can look at form factors, examine touch points and predict consumer reactions to quickly generate 10 mockups of a SKU’s packaging, Egan said, rather than physically making and testing each version. 

AI can “analyze this unbelievably large number of data points and provide you with insights,” Egan said, adding that packaging leaders can refine the options from there.

Simulation models can also help to design packaging for the same product in different channels, such as one version for retail shelves and another for e-commerce. AI could determine the best design and protective properties for each channel while ensuring brand consistency, Egan said.

Simulating testing

Colgate-Palmolive is exploring how simulations could validate new designs for components such as bottles, caps and spray pumps, said Sukhdev Singh Saini, global toothbrush and devices packaging lead at the company.

Without AI, “we have to physically make a lot of samples to test,” Saini said. Then, the samples have to be shipped, tested and possibly altered before being sent out for another round of testing. “There is a lot of time involved, a lot of material involved.”

With a simulation model, though, the CPG feeds specs into a system, and AI replicates testing to provide results. Saini acknowledged the tech is still a work in progress and not a 100% replacement just yet.

Jonathan Garini, CEO and enterprise AI consultant at Fifthelement, sees brands using algorithms to simulate how a substrate performs in real-life conditions like humidity or rough handling.

“This not only accelerates the test cycle but also can lower the cost of physical prototyping significantly,” Garini said.

Packaging artwork

Recao said Tradepak uses Adobe Illustrator equipped with AI to make adjustments on colors, design placement and other elements before printing. 

For artwork, Colgate-Palmolive works with Esko software, which uses automation throughout the packaging go-to-market process. The use of AI in artwork management has improved quality while saving time, Saini said.

In this episode of The Good Bot, Brett Mason is joined by Gene Fishel and Chris Carlson to discuss the latest state laws targeting AI, especially in health care. They break down new legislation in Colorado, Utah, California, and Texas, highlighting differences in scope and enforcement. They also cover how state attorneys general are using consumer protection and anti-discrimination laws to regulate AI, even in states without AI-specific statutes.

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