What happened
OpenAI published two studies on enterprise AI adoption. They found frontier firms, the top 10% of AI users, now generate 8.3× as many output tokens per active user as typical firms, up from 2.6× in January.
Why it matters
As of June, Codex, OpenAI's agentic coding tool, generated 64% of combined Codex and ChatGPT output tokens among enterprise customers. This shows AI use is shifting from answering questions to carrying out multi-step work, but the gap between heavy and typical users is widening.
What to watch
The gap is growing fastest outside engineering, with legal weekly active Codex users up 108× since February versus 5× in engineering. OpenAI notes frontier firms still lag its internal usage, where 95% of employees use Plugins weekly, suggesting deeper adoption is possible.
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OpenAI's research indicates that access to the same models does not translate into equal results. The widening gap between frontier firms and typical ones, from 2.6× in January to 8.3× in June, suggests that complementary investments matter. The findings point to the importance of continuous employee learning, shared workflows, data infrastructure, and governance for broader adoption.
The reports also show early-career employees use AI more than executives, with 13 more messages per week six months after adoption. This contradicts some surveys and suggests leaders should identify employees with strong AI habits and make their workflows visible.
The shift toward agentic work is evident in the rise of Codex usage and features like Plugins, which connect agents to company data and tools. The potential for deeper adoption is highlighted by OpenAI's internal usage, where 95% of employees use Plugins weekly. However, adoption at frontier firms remains lower, at 21%, indicating room for growth.
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