OpenAI data shows 20.7% of ChatGPT messages seek information
OpenAI released Signals V3.0 on October 26, revealing that information seeking accounted for 20.7% of consumer ChatGPT messages in August 2026. This figure nearly matched writing, which comprised 20.6% of messages that month. It marked the first time in the dataset, which began in July 2024, that information seeking surpassed writing, though writing reclaimed the lead in September at 21.4%…
Key points
- Information seeking reached 20.7% of consumer ChatGPT messages in August 2026, nearly matching writing at 20.6%.
- Writing usage fell from 34.1% in July 2024 to 21.4% in September 2026, while information seeking rose to 20.2%.
- Work-related messages comprised 32.2% of all messages in September, with practical guidance as the largest topic at 28.1%.
The data is based on a monthly sample of 1 million messages from users aged 18 and older on Free, Go, Plus, or Pro plans, excluding Enterprise and Codex. Over the period from July 2024 to September 2026, writing usage dropped from 34.1% to 21.4%, while information seeking rose from 16.7% to 20.2%. Practical guidance, including how-to advice and tutoring, remained the largest topic since March 2025, reaching 28.1% in September.
OpenAI also published a work activity report using O*NET standards, showing that work-related messages made up 32.2% of all messages in September. The report notes that work-related use is becoming less concentrated in common activities. However, the Signals data shows a smaller rise in information seeking than a 2025 paper by OpenAI and Harvard researchers, which estimated the category at 24% of usage by mid-2025. The discrepancy between the two datasets remains unexplained in the release.
The story so far
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ChatGPT Data: 1 In 5 Consumer Messages Now Seek Information via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Search Engine Journal · 27 October 2026
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This text was published by Search Engine Journal and written by Matt G. Southern. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
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