How workers are unlocking new ways of working

New OpenAI Economic Research indicates that workers are increasingly using artificial intelligence for tasks outside their traditional job descriptions, transforming these experiments into recurring parts of their regular routines. By analyzing more than 1.5 million work-related ChatGPT messages from April through July 2026, the research documents a phenomenon called task crossover, where workers utilize AI for activities historically associated with other occupations. Among approximately 6,200 workers observed consistently over the four-month period, previously used cross-occupation tasks grew from 13.1 percent of occupation-specific AI activity in April to 25.9 percent in July. Additional findings show that workers prompt AI differently depending on whether the task fits their usual role. When tackling tasks outside their typical occupations, workers write shorter prompts on average and are less likely to request explanations, how-to guidance, or specific formatting. Conversely, they are more likely to provide background information or examples and ask AI to verify information, effectively borrowing expertise rather than learning an entirely new field. The average next-month return rate across cross-occupation tasks was 18.5 percent, though rates varied depending on the type of work and workplace norms. OpenAI suggests that these patterns point toward a potential path for AI-driven job transformation, where jobs broaden their mix of activities even while titles stay the same. Consequently, the findings imply that effective organizational AI adoption requires careful consideration of work design alongside the provision of AI tools.