OpenAI is hiring a dedicated product manager in San Francisco to build experiences for families, caregivers, and older adults across its products, according to a job posting. The role calls for experience building products for parents and families and other trust-sensitive consumer experiences.
ChatGPT's audience continues to broaden beyond younger users. According to Sensor Tower estimates, the share of ChatGPT users aged 35 and older globally rose to 31% in Q2 from 26% a year earlier, while the share of users aged 18 to 24 fell to 29% from 34%. In the U.S., nearly one in four smartphone users who are parents used ChatGPT during the quarter, up from 16% a year earlier.
The hiring signals OpenAI is beginning to think about its products less as tools for individual productivity and more as technology designed for households. Stephen Balkam, chief executive of the Family Online Safety Institute, said the hiring reflects both the maturation of OpenAI and a growing recognition that AI products used by children and teenagers require different safeguards than those designed for adults. New research by FOSI found that while 27% of U.S. parents said their child had used generative AI in the past week, 38% of children reported doing so themselves, indicating parents are underestimating children's AI use.