Skip to content 
Sam Altman’s latest comments about how young people use ChatGPT landed because they described a change many schools, families, and employers are already watching in real time.
ChatGPT is no longer being used only as a search box, writing aid, or homework shortcut. For a growing group of younger users, it is becoming a private sounding board for choices, planning, learning, and daily organization.
The remarks appeared in a MEXC news, which summarized Altman’s claim that older users often treat ChatGPT like search, while people in their 20s and 30s use it more like a “life advisor.” The stronger source is Altman’s own appearance at Sequoia Capital’s AI Ascent 2025, where he described a sharp generational divide in AI use.
A Tool That Is Becoming Personal Infrastructure
Altman’s most revealing point was not simply that young people ask ChatGPT for advice. He said college students use it “like an operating system,” with files, repeated prompts, and workflows built around the tool.
He also said some users ask ChatGPT before making life decisions because the system may already have context about people in their lives, past conversations, and saved memory.
Altman’s language suggests OpenAI sees ChatGPT less as a single app and more as a persistent layer across work, school, communication, and personal planning.
Student Adoption Is Already Deep
OpenAI’s own data supports the broader claim that younger users are adopting ChatGPT heavily. In a report on U.S. college-aged adults, the company said more than one-third of people in that age group use ChatGPT, and about a quarter of their messages relate to learning and schoolwork.
A wider OpenAI and Harvard-linked study also shows how broad the product has become. OpenAI said the research drew on a privacy-preserving analysis of 1.5 million conversations and noted ChatGPT had 700 million weekly active users at the time of the study.
That scale gives Altman’s comments weight beyond anecdote, even if his generational breakdown was clearly presented as a broad observation rather than formal demographic research.
The Classroom Is Already Adjusting
Pew Research Center found that 26% of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 said they had used ChatGPT for schoolwork in 2024, up from 13% in 2023. The survey also found that most teens still had not used it for schoolwork, which complicates the idea of universal adoption.
AI use is rising fast, but access, school rules, family norms, and digital confidence still shape who uses it and how.
For educators, the challenge is shifting from whether students will use AI to how they will use it. A student who asks ChatGPT to explain a concept is doing something different from a student who asks it to plan an essay, manage deadlines, summarize readings, or shape a career choice.
The Risk Is Over-Reliance, Not Just Cheating
The “life advisor” label also raises safety questions. Common Sense Media reported in 2025 that nearly 3 in 4 teens had used AI companions and half used them regularly. A third had chosen AI companions over humans for serious conversations, while a quarter had shared personal information with those platforms.
That does not mean every use is harmful. Young people often test ideas privately before discussing them with parents, teachers, friends, or counselors.
But when an AI system becomes the first stop for emotional, academic, financial, or personal advice, accuracy and boundaries matter. So do privacy settings, data controls, and clear reminders that AI can simulate judgment without actually caring about the user.
The Bigger Story
Altman’s comment points to a larger transition. ChatGPT is moving from information retrieval toward personal guidance. Younger users appear to be pushing that transition fastest because they are more willing to build habits around AI.
The next question is no longer whether AI can answer people. The harder question is whether society is ready for millions of young people to treat AI as the place where decisions begin.
