Preparing special meals for friends and family has emerged as the surprising top use for ChatGPT in Australia, alongside sourcing recipes and cooking tips.
OpenAI revealed the growing trend in a report on Tuesday, which showed generative AI had also crept into considerations about home renovations and the household budget.
The findings come three years after the launch of OpenAI's chatbot and as the federal government prepares to establish the Australian AI Safety Institute to evaluate emerging trends and technologies.
The US tech firm engaged PureProfile to survey more than 1000 Australian adults about how they use ChatGPT, and found almost two in three (62 per cent) asked the generative AI tool for help to plan special occasion meals for friends and family.
Recipes and meal tips were also a top ask of the chatbot (60 per cent), followed by meal preparation and planning (40 per cent) and providing dinner inspiration during the week (36 per cent).
Some users were taking photos of ingredients in their kitchens and uploading the images to find recipes that used them, OpenAI Australia communications head Chloe Browne said.
"What really stands out is how heavily Australians rely on ChatGPT for practical, everyday, how-to advice - it's the single biggest category of use here," she told AAP.
"Australians are a naturally curious, hands-on bunch and we're seeing ChatGPT used to solve real, day-to-day problems."
Almost half of local ChatGPT users asked the tool for DIY tips (48 per cent) and home renovation advice (46 per cent), the study found, and a similar number used the technology to summarise long news articles.
Work tasks and financial matters were the second-largest topic for questions, with top queries about clarifying information, composing emails and summarising meetings.
More than one in 10 people said they would not send an email without asking ChatGPT to check it first, and almost two in three said the technology saved them between one and three hours on work tasks each week.
The company expected use of the technology to continue evolving in the coming year, Ms Browne said, and turn into a personal assistant that could manage transactions.
"Today, users rely on ChatGPT to plan complex itineraries, compare options and make decisions," she said.
"Over time, that's likely to extend into more task-based experiences such as co-ordinating bookings, managing reservations and connecting (with apps)."
The Australian Digital Inclusion Index found almost half the country used generative AI technology (45.6 per cent), with its use highest among those aged between 18 and 34 years.
