OpenAI JUST released how people are using chatgpt
each bar in this chart is a billion-dollar wedge if you build the right verticalized, trust-rich AI startup:
1/ tutoring teaching (10.2%) - people want on-demand teachers more than almost anything else. a personal ai tutor that explains things your way, remembers your progress, and nudges you daily.
2/ how-to advice (8.5%) - this is consumer SaaS for micro-niches: “how to fix my resume,” “how to meal prep,” “how to set up my Shopify store.” every “how-to” is a wedge into a vertical AI agent.
3/ personal writing editing (18% combined) - 8% of traffic is people asking AI to write emails, 10.6% is editing or critiquing text. this is demand for AI copilots inside every workflow tool: sales, legal, HR, PR.
4/ health, fitness, beauty, self-care (5.7%) - validated consumer wedge. people already trust AI with their bodies. AI trainers, AI nutritionists, AI skin coaches — with a human layer for accountability.
note: btw if you like seeing ideas/trends like this, you'll like
@ideabrowser (free/paid plans)
5/ purchasable products (2.1%)- tiny % but huge monetization. people literally asking AI what to buy. the Amazon affiliate model gets reborn here. whoever builds the “AI-powered shopping layer” owns the new SEO.
6/ translation (4.5%)still unsolved. what people want isn’t raw translation, it’s contextual translation: tone, culture, slang. AI that doesn’t just translate but localizes your intent.
7/ computer programming (4.2%) - we know this, but it’s worth underlining: devs want copilots. the non-obvious play is vertical code copilots... Shopify dev copilot, Unreal Engine copilot, etc.
TLDR;
every bar is a behavior that people are already paying for elsewhere. translate those behaviors into vertical ai agents and startups.
the data doesn't lie.