ChatGPT skills could help land your next job — but most people are still using AI just for fun, a new survey finds

• ChatGPT skills can help you get hired — but most people are using AI just for fun, a new study says.
• The Salesforce survey found 38% of respondents use AI for "fun" or "messing around."
• The findings come as companies across industries seek to hire workers who know how to use AI.

Knowing how to use OpenAI's ChatGPT may help you land your next job. Still, some users of the AI chatbot may not be taking it all that seriously, a new study from Salesforce suggests.

Earlier this month, the San Francisco-based cloud giant surveyed more than 4,000 people across the US, UK, Australia, and India — from Gen Zers to Boomers — on how they use generative AI technologies like ChatGPT, AI-art generator DALL-E, and any deep-learning model that is able to produce audio, code, simulations, and videos, a Salesforce spokesperson told Insider.

While the study found that many generative AI users are eager to use the technology for work purposes, the most popular response — chosen by 38% of all age groups — was that it's simply being used for "fun" or "messing around." (That compares to 17% of all age groups who said they're using AI for job searching.)

The fun-focused use might be, in part, because it's been less than a year since ChatGPT came out. It was a moment that brought the impressive technology into the public eye, but people could still be still wrapping their heads around how to make it most useful for their careers.

In fact, younger users may be more inclined to play with generative AI for a good laugh compared to older users, according to the study. Out of all the users surveyed, 42% of them identify as being Gen Z, 39% identify as Gen X and Boomers, and 35% of users identify as millennials.

Still, researchers found that users are open to using tools like AI chatbots for work purposes. Of all users surveyed, 75% said they are eager to use AI to "automate tasks at work" and to "write work communications," such as email. And 65% of respondents said they want to use AI to "synthesize meeting notes."

The findings on how people use generative AI come as many experiment with tools like ChatGPT to plan trips, redo their dating profiles, and craft a workout plan. Some workers have even figured out how to use the technology to help do their jobs.

Yet, it could be only a matter of time before generative AI users start taking the technology more seriously. A recent study from job site ResumeBuilder found that 91% of companies surveyed want to hire workers who know ChatGPT, and as of June, companies across industries like marketing and healthcare were hiring for roles where experience and familiarity with ChatGPT were listed as qualifications.

Even big tech companies like Meta and Netflix are looking for AI skills in new hires and are paying salaries between $137,000 to $900,000 to attract generative AI talent.

While some experts predict that AI may replace jobs in the future, others believe that mastering how to communicate with AI could be the skill that helps workers stay employed.

"AI won't take your job," Richard Baldwin, an economist, said during a panel at the 2023 World Economic Forum's Growth Summit. "It's somebody using AI that will take your job."