What Are Some of the Most Commonly Asked Questions at OpenAI?

I wonder if AI bots can get a big ego. A couple years ago I asked OpenAI's ChatGPT what the most commonly asked questions that people were asking. Would it be questions about life, meaning, happiness or God? Would it be questions about television or media? Questions about science or the universe? 

ChatGPT is full of surprises, which is one reason it can be so thoroughly entertaining, almost as surprising and entertaining as Twitter.

Based on the opening sentence to this blog post, you might be able to guess what the most commonly asked questions have been at OpenAI and the ChatGPT family of bots. Yes, the ten most frequently asked questions have to do with OpenAI and  ChatGPT itself. How does it work? What does OpenAI do? Questions about ethics, drawbacks and the future are on the list as well, but here's the full answer, straight from the horsebot's mouth.

What's funny to me is that I've not asked ChatGPT any of these kinds of questions, except the one about AI art and ethics, which I wrote about in my March column for Business North.

What are some of the most commonly asked questions at OpenAI?

As an AI language model, I don't have access to data regarding the most commonly asked questions at OpenAI, but based on my interactions with users, here are some of the frequently asked questions:

1. What is OpenAI, and what do you do?
2. What is GPT-3, and how does it work?
3. How can I access GPT-3, and what are the pricing options?
4. Can I use OpenAI's APIs for commercial purposes?
5. What are some of the applications of OpenAI's technology?
6. What are the ethical considerations around AI and OpenAI's work?
7. How can I get involved with OpenAI and contribute to the community?
8. What are some of the limitations and potential drawbacks of OpenAI's technology?
9. What is the difference between OpenAI and other AI companies or research institutions?
10. What are some of the future plans and directions for OpenAI?

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AI version of my pen & ink art above.

You  can tell how much further along ChatGPT has evolved by the manner in which it answered this same question today. The earlier version simply listed the questions people ask. Today's version parses the questions into categories, and added icons for each category.

🧠 1. Basic “What is this?” Questions

These are the entry-level questions most new users ask:

• What is ChatGPT?
• How does it work?
• What can I use it for?
• Is it free?
• What’s the difference between versions (GPT-4, etc.)?

These show up prominently in official FAQs and guides.

🛠️ 2. “How do I use it?” (Practical Use)

Once people understand the tool, they ask how to apply it:

• Can it help me write or edit something?
• Can it summarize documents?
• Can it help with coding or math?
• How do I upload files or images?

This reflects how ChatGPT is used for everyday tasks like writing, planning, and analysis.

💼 3. Developer / API Questions

More technical users tend to ask:

• How do I get an API key?
• How much does it cost?
• What are rate limits?
• Why am I getting errors (like 429)?

These are among the most common questions in OpenAI’s developer help docs.

🔐 4. Privacy, Safety, and Trust

A big category—especially as AI becomes mainstream:

• Is my data safe?
• Does OpenAI store conversations?
• Can ChatGPT be wrong?
• What are the risks of using AI?

These concerns show up repeatedly as usage scales and becomes more personal.

💰 5. Cost & Access

Very common practical questions:

• Is ChatGPT free or paid?
• What do I get with Plus / Pro?
• How is pricing calculated?

🧑‍💻 6. Job & Interview Questions (About OpenAI as a Company)

For people interested in working there:

• Why do you want to work at OpenAI?
• How do you ensure AI safety?
• Explain machine learning concepts
• Design an AI system

These show up frequently in interview prep materials.

🌍 7. What People Actually Ask ChatGPT (Behavior Patterns)

Studies and reporting show the real-world usage is broader:

• Personal advice (career, relationships, health)
• Writing help (emails, essays, blog posts)
• Learning (explanations, summaries)
• Everyday curiosity (“How does X work?”)

One summary: people most often ask about personal development, relationships, health, career, and technology.

📊 Big Picture Insight

Roughly speaking, questions cluster into three layers:

1. Understanding the tool → “What is this?”
2. Using the tool → “Can you help me do X?”
3. Trusting the tool → “Can I rely on this?”

And interestingly, nearly half of interactions are simply people asking questions—basic curiosity at scale.

✍️ A Useful Line for Your Writing

If you’re working this into an article, you might say:

“The most common questions people ask OpenAI aren’t technical—they’re human: What can you do for me? Can I trust you? And how can this make my life easier?”

THIS LAST COMMENT comes as a result of an ongoing relationship that we have. ChatGPT knows I am a writer/blogger. He/she/it is here suggesting an angle for this blog post.

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ChatGPT isn't the only game in town. In fact, the number of AI LLMs seems to be multiplying exponentially as people and bots think up new applications or improve existing ones. Buzz Lightyear comes to mind: "From Here to Infinity... and Beyond!" 

"Oh Brave New World!"