CFOs are being pressured to demonstrate that artificial intelligence delivers measurable business value. At the same time, consumers are using the same tools more often in their personal lives rather than in their professional ones, according to multiple new data points.
A new study by OpenAI of 1.5 million ChatGPT conversations shows 70% of its use is not work-related. In a new, separate IQ-EQ global survey of 45 private market CFOs conducted between April and May 2025, it found that more than half of those surveyed already see AI improving efficiency in areas like fund performance analysis. The findings reveal two sides of AI adoption: casual personal use and structured operational strategy.
Consumers use ChatGPT for advice while CFOs use AI tools to run operations
The ChatGPT study, published as a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, found adoption is now firmly embedded in personal life, and contrary to many reports, is less used at work. Less than a third (30%) of consumer conversations were tied to work. Nearly half of all messages (49%) are asking questions rather than requesting completion of a task. Forty percent of questions are categorized as task-oriented, while 11% are expressive, defined as neither asking nor doing but instead involving “reflection, exploration and play.”
While consumers turn to AI for guidance in daily life, CFOs are taking a very different approach. In the IQ-EQ CFO Survey 2025, it was found that more than half (56%) of finance leaders said AI has already improved efficiency. Where consumers use ChatGPT to ask questions, CFOs are using AI tools to optimize fund performance analysis (33%), streamline data collection (29%), improve client experience (27%) and enhance decision making with predictive analytics (27%).
AI is optional for consumers, but a priority for CFOs
The study of ChatGPT conversations shows that adoption continues to grow as people discover new use cases, yet most of that activity is informal. Writing is the most common work task, while coding and creative expression remain labeled as niche. Unlike CFOs who must weigh costs and compliance, consumers can engage with ChatGPT casually in their personal lives in ways they see fit.
For CFOs, adoption has not been nearly as casual. IQ-EQ found that digital transformation, including AI, ranked among the top three strategies for value creation, alongside fund financing (42%) and cost optimization (40%). One in five CFOs admitted they are not leveraging AI effectively, and almost a fifth (18%) said their firms lack a clear data strategy.
Finance leaders also cited barriers. Over a quarter (27%) pointed to the high cost of system upgrades, and 22% cited shortages of data talent. Unlike consumers who can log on freely, CFOs must fund infrastructure, hire specialists and meet investor expectations before showing results.
Consumers will deepen use over time, while CFOs face rising demands
According to the NBER study, ChatGPT usage rises over time as improved models create new possibilities. This shift reflects how consumers grow more comfortable with the tools in everyday life, a trend that may help finance teams and companies who are struggling with providing psychological safety during technological transformations. Much of this value, such as better decisions in personal planning, sits outside of standard economic metrics but still shapes behavior.
For CFOs, like most other parts of the job, adoption is tied to accountability. More than half of those surveyed (55%) said they made substantial operational adjustments in the past year to meet transparency demands from limited partners. A nearly identical amount (54%) said side letters added to their administrative workload, and 53% said bespoke reporting pushed up costs.
To handle this, more than a third (38%) increased outsourcing in the past 12 months. Two-thirds (66%) agreed that outsourcing non-core functions enhanced efficiency, and 20% said they have adopted hybrid outsourcing models.
Where consumers expand use of AI personally and organically, CFOs must formalize AI adoption within the complex structures and responsibilities of corporate finance. Dashboards and data platforms are being deployed to standardize reporting, while outsourcing helps fill skills gaps for now.
Both surveys underscore that AI’s greatest impact lies in decision support. For consumers, that means advice on daily life, with some using it to assist in tasks at work. For CFOs, it means using these tools as assistants in areas like predictive analytics to anticipate performance and meet rising demands for transparency, data optimization and growth.
Elise Gray, head of CFO support services at IQ-EQ, was quoted in the research drawing distinction between how consumers and finance leaders are using AI differently. Gray noted that the type of AI being used is often misunderstood.
“People use generative AI tools like ChatGPT every day, but that’s not always the type of AI we’re talking about when it comes to operations,” she said. “What we’re really referring to is agentic AI – tools that can replicate human work and execute tasks. Many managers are curious about agentic AI, but it’s still in its early stages. Firms don’t know where to start and it’s surrounded by data security worries.”
For those leading digital transformations, the difference is scale. Consumers can adopt AI casually, but CFOs must invest, restructure operations and prove that new technology like AI creates measurable value across the business.
