How people use AI agents

A Perplexity and Harvard study analyzing hundreds of millions of anonymized Comet and Comet Assistant interactions finds that AI agents are used primarily for cognitive work rather than only routine delegation, with 57% of activity involving productivity, workflow, learning, or research tasks. Productivity and workflow account for 36% of common tasks, while learning and research represent 21%, with users employing agents to gather information, synthesize materials, analyze options, and support decisions across fields such as procurement, education, and finance. The study reports that many users begin with casual requests such as travel or entertainment recommendations but increasingly shift toward higher-value professional and research applications, which show stronger retention. Six occupational groups account for 70% of agent activity, with digital technologists generating 30% of queries, while marketing, sales, management, and entrepreneurship display especially intensive ongoing use after adoption. Usage also varies by context, as finance users focus heavily on efficiency, students on research and learning, and other professions on industry-specific needs, while personal uses account for more than half of all query volume.

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