Altman Discusses AI Habits of Baby Boomers and Millennials

Baby boomers, millennials, and Generation Z perceive and use artificial intelligence differently, according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

According to him, the older generation tends to view AI as an advanced search engine. Millennials often use the technology as a digital therapist, while modern students see it as a universal assistant, relying on it for everything.

“It’s a simplification, but older people use ChatGPT like Google. Users in their 20s and 30s employ the chatbot as a life advisor,” Altman noted.

He compared the generational gap in AI usage to the early days of smartphones, when young people adapted quickly while older individuals took more time.

“College students use it as an operating system. They configure ChatGPT in complex ways, connect it to files, and remember or save detailed prompts. It’s impressive. Some don’t make life decisions without consulting the chatbot, which has complete information about people in their lives and past conversations,” added the OpenAI CEO.

In April, the startup significantly enhanced ChatGPT’s memory. It now remembers all user conversations.

Earlier in the same month, Altman revealed that OpenAI spent tens of millions of dollars responding to users who wrote “please” and “thank you.” However, he argued that there is no point in being polite to AI models, as it is a waste of computational resources.