Technically HR: ChatGPT use doubled in its inaugural year

Last year was 2023, according to the Gregorian calendar, the year of the rabbit, according to the zodiac, and perhaps the year of Taylor to Swifties. But to you, devoted HR Brew reader, was it the year that ChatGPT changed the workplace?

OpenAI launched the tool in November 2022, and boasted 100 million active monthly users by January. By November 2023, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that 100 million users are now consulting the tool each week.

A new Glassdoor survey, which aligned with ChatGPT’s one-year anniversary, found that over the course of its first year, working professionals have increasingly sought help from generative AI.

Some 62% of professionals reported using generative AI tools at work, up from 27% in November when ChatGPT was launched. Marketing professionals use the tools the most, with 77% of respondents in the industry saying they’ve used it at work, 71% of consultants are consulting ChatGPT, and 67% of advertising professionals are using generative AI at work.

But not everyone is flocking to generative AI like an oasis on a hot desert day. Those in the insurance profession report the lowest usage; only 33% of respondents say they use generative AI, whereas 38% of lawyers reported tapping into the tool and40% of healthcare pros are using it.

The majority of both male and female professionals report using ChatGPT at work, though men use the tool more, at 66%, compared to 57% of women, according to the survey.

Zoom out. As ChatGPT grew in popularity, companies looked to figure out how generative AI would fit into their workflow. Many weighed how the application can be used and in what circumstances, without risking private and proprietary information.

Some C-suite execs see the tool as a cash cow, with 44% of US CEOs viewing generative AI as a tool that will boost profits in the next year, according to a recent survey from PwC.

Figuring out how to govern automated work solutions is also top of mind for some HR pros. A number of tools popped up for employees to use in the office, including Amazon’s Q, a ChatGPT-powered tool that’s designed specifically for the workplace for its AWS clients.

Many other HCM, HRIS, and productivity management tools are also incorporating generative AI apps to help HR pros and employees alike leverage the technology for added gains. Learning and development pros are working to figure out how to leverage the technology and upskill employees to best use it for their tasks.