AI is making new tasks a more regular part of work

Research: on 16 September, OpenAI published an analysis of more than 1.5 million work-related ChatGPT messages from April through July 2026. The study examined how workers use AI for tasks outside their usual field and whether that use recurs.

Finding: among roughly 6,200 workers observed throughout the period, the share of previously performed tasks outside their own role rose from 13.1% in April to 25.9% in July. Customer conversations, promotional writing and marketing materials were especially likely to recur the following month. These are patterns within the group studied, not evidence for every organization.

DigiDare perspective: in an SME, choose one recurring task where an employee needs expertise from another domain. Create a standard template with context, source data and checkpoints, and always have sensitive or regulated outcomes reviewed by an authorized person. This turns AI into a repeatable process rather than an isolated experiment.