Recap of Harvard Business Review Publication

Artificial intelligence isn’t just the latest tech fad. it’s woven into how we think, work, create, and even comfort ourselves. But here’s the kicker: what vendors say people use AI for isn’t always what people actually do with it.

That’s the big lesson from Harvard Business Review’s article “Making Sense of Research on How People Use AI” by Marc Zao-Sanders. Instead of chasing feature lists, model specs, and launch announcements, the article urges leaders to rethink AI from a behavior-first perspective and look at how humans integrate AI tools into real life.

AI Usage Data

For years, the narrative around AI has been dominated by performance benchmarks, company funding, and debates about the next big thing. But as Zao-Sanders points out, that’s only half the story. What matters for business leaders is understanding how people actually use it.

Zao-Sanders highlights three major research studies from 2025 that dig into real human behavior with generative AI:

• OpenAI’s usage data
• Anthropic’s economic index
• Filtered’s own social listening insights

Taken together, these three data sets reveal patterns that are less about flashy capabilities and more about human habits and needs.

Comfort & Companionship

Here’s where it gets interesting: recent evidence suggests that AI’s most common applications aren’t always the “highly technical breakthroughs” we expect. Instead, people are using AI for things that are:

• Deeply human — not just efficient
• Emotion-oriented — not just task-oriented
• Integrated into everyday life — not siloed in work applications

For example, top AI-use cases include therapy and companionship, personal productivity, creative exploration, and life organization, not just generating business code or analytics. What’s surprising isn’t that AI is versatile — it’s that people are choosing AI based on emotional and personal value, not just technical horsepower.

AI Research Tips

If you’re thinking about strategy, product design, or organizational readiness, these behavioral insights change the game:

Look beyond automation.
AI isn’t just about cutting costs — it’s changing how people feel about tasks, work, and even themselves.

Listen before you build.
User research and social signal analysis are no longer optional. They reveal not just how AI is used, but why.

Today we’re entering an era where the questions about AI are less about what it can do and more about how it’s used.

• What problems do people actually bring to AI?
• Where does AI add human value (not just efficiency)?
• When does AI support well-being versus hinder it?

As Zao-Sanders suggests, understanding this human side of AI is essential for anyone building tools, designing experiences, or leading digital transformation with AI in the future.

Why It Matters

Be it brand or business, behavior matters. Understanding how people truly use AI, not just how it’s marketed, we unlock the difference between noise and useful insight.

Turn behavior research into your strategic business advantage, go InsideHeads.