The news: New studies from leading AI labs OpenAI and Anthropic reveal how generative AI (genAI) is being used, painting a picture of rapid adoption and a clear trend toward task automation in the workplace.

OpenAI’s analysis of 1.5 million conversations from 700 million weekly active users found that 73% of ChatGPT interactions were personal rather than professional. Supporting that trend, 53% of US consumers now use genAI for shopping research, per Adobe Digital Insights. 

In stark contrast, Anthropic’s report on its Claude AI software found an overwhelming business focus on automation. More than three-quarters (77%) of corporate usage involved “automation patterns,” with many cases of “full task delegation.” 

Consumers lean personal, businesses lean automation: OpenAI’s study shows ChatGPT is most often used as a personal guide, with 28.3% asking for how-to advice, followed by writing help and personal communication. 

Nearly half of ChatGPT users (46%) are 18 to 25 years old, underscoring Gen Z’s role in normalizing AI as an everyday assistant.

Anthropic found companies are leaning on Claude to handle 39% of administrative tasks and coding—core functions that signal AI’s deeper integration into enterprise workflows. Anthropic also found 97% of tasks use automation-heavy APIs versus 47% on the Claude chatbot.

AI’s dual role: The divide between OpenAI and Anthropic is about positioning. OpenAI is framing ChatGPT as a personal assistant woven into daily life, while Anthropic leans into Claude as an enterprise engine. That line may blur as both expand—each building products that straddle consumer ease and enterprise scale.

Personal AI and enterprise AI can coexist: Consumers normalize AI through daily use, creating comfort and trust that eventually migrates into the workplace. At the same time, companies testing automation at scale may push AI back into people’s lives in the form of embedded productivity tools. Rather than separate markets, these may prove to be two halves of the same ecosystem.

Our take: For CMOs, the divide between OpenAI’s personal-first adoption and Anthropic’s enterprise automation isn’t an either/or—it indicates AI is shaping two parallel behaviors that brands must adapt to.

The opportunity is to design campaigns and brand experiences that are approachable enough for personal use and scalable enough for enterprise integration. Marketers who frame AI as both empowering and efficient will be best positioned to earn trust across the adoption divide.