ChatGPT in Knowledge-Intensive Work—Patterns of Adoption, Perceived Usefulness, and Human-Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Across Three Domains

This study explores the integration and impact of ChatGPT, a generative AI tool, across three knowledge-intensive fields: coaching, IT programming, and scientific research. A survey with 385 participants explored adoption factors, usage frequency, task support, and perceptions of skills, creativity, and authenticity across ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4. Despite domain-specific differences, ChatGPT was consistently seen as a valuable, complementary tool for structured and content-driven tasks, though not as a substitute for human expertise. Version 4 was slightly preferred for complex tasks, but perceptions across versions were broadly similar. Domain-specific findings show ChatGPT’s utility in idea development and content structuring for coaching, code review and troubleshooting in IT, and writing and data synthesis in science. This study provides a reality check on the current state of ChatGPT adoption in professional settings, highlighting the tool’s role and limitations across different domains.