Listen: How do people use AI assistants?

We often treat artificial intelligence chat sessions like traditional search queries. But an analysis of nearly one million real user conversations reveals a far more complex picture.

Most AI interactions are highly transactional and incredibly brief. The typical conversation lasts just two turns, which is usually a single question followed by a single response. In these exchanges, the AI does most of the heavy lifting. While the average user inputs just a few words, the assistant generates the vast majority of the content. There is, however, a small group of power users who paste massive documents into the chat for deep analysis.

Perhaps the most surprising finding is that nearly two-thirds of all AI conversations have no commercial intent whatsoever. Instead of looking for products to buy, people are using AI as a thinking partner. They are brainstorming, planning schedules, translating text, and learning new skills.

For the roughly thirty-five percent of sessions that do have commercial value, most users are in the very early stages of their journey. They are identifying problems or comparing different brands. Interestingly, users also turn to AI after making a purchase, using the assistant to troubleshoot products and figure out setup instructions.

Ultimately, users do not just want to buy things through AI. They are using it to create, think, and solve problems.