AI Trends

Two years of ChatGPT: How a research project changed the world

Remy Gieling

February 1, 2026

min read

Two years of ChatGPT: How a research project changed the world

ChatGPT is celebrating 2 years of innovation as the AI tool that has transformed the way we work and create around the world.

Today, we're celebrating a special milestone: it's exactly two years since ChatGPT saw the light of day. What started as an OpenAI experimental project has quickly grown into a tool that transforms the work of millions of people around the world. In this blog post, we look back at the origins of ChatGPT, share an anecdote about its unexpected success, and give three practical tips to get even more out of this digital engine.

An unexpected success story

The ChatGPT story began as a kind of scientific experiment. The technology for language models had already been developed within OpenAI, and at some point, the creators decided to make this chatbot publicly available. Not with great expectations, but just to see how a small group of tech enthusiasts would get to work with it. What happened, however, exceeded everyone's wildest dreams. Within months, ChatGPT had amassed hundreds of millions of users. A technology experiment grew into a global phenomenon that changed the way we work, learn and create forever.

Interestingly, many people at OpenAI didn't even know that the tool would be launched. The project was launched relatively quietly, without much publicity. Nevertheless, it caught on immediately. The simplicity of ChatGPT — an interface where you can ask questions and receive answers — proved to be a golden feature. From copywriting to programming and brainstorming, the possibilities proved endless.

How to get more out of ChatGPT

Although ChatGPT has been around for two years, the technology behind it is still evolving. The paid versions, in particular, offer impressive features that can drastically improve your workflow. Here are three tips for getting more out of ChatGPT:

1. Use the apps for maximum functionality

ChatGPT's desktop and mobile apps offer more features than the browser version. On a MacBook, for example, you can connect ChatGPT to other apps on your computer. This opens the door to automating time-consuming tasks. Let's say you're a software developer: you can connect ChatGPT to tools like Xcode. Instead of manually copying code back and forth, ChatGPT can work directly with your development environment.

This integration is just the beginning. Competitors like Anthropic have already launched models that have access to desktops and online systems. It seems only a matter of time before ChatGPT can see our screens and even perform simple tasks like browsing the web or changes in systems for us.

2. Discover the power of dictation

Voice control is a game changer. With the dictation function in the mobile app, you can easily capture ideas, discuss strategic plans, or summarize customer conversations. Winston Churchill once dictated his famous speeches to a secretary; today, we don't need people for that anymore.

Whether you're stuck in traffic or getting a coffee, talking to ChatGPT for a few minutes can help you organize your thoughts. You can even ask the system to identify blind spots in your plans or make suggestions. And thanks to the new voice mode, you can have full conversations without delay and with natural interaction.

3. Personalize your experience with Custom GPTs

One of ChatGPT's most interesting features is the ability to create your own mini chatbots, called Custom GPTs. This allows you to train ChatGPT on specific knowledge, such as an employee handbook or an internal process. The result? A chatbot that only answers based on your data, giving you a powerful digital assistant for your organization.

Future developments: from screen sharing to reasoning models

What does the future hold for ChatGPT? Over the past two years, we have seen impressive developments, from internet access to reasoning models that contribute more reflectively to complex issues. The latter, in particular, is promising. The reasoning model asks itself control questions before it answers, leading to deeper and more reliable insights. This is in line with the system 1 and system 2 thinking that Daniel Kahneman described: rapid intuitive responses versus more thoughtful analyses.

In addition, we are already seeing applications where ChatGPT collaborates with other software. Think of the Canvas model, an internal word processor that lets you write iteratively, or the advanced search function that lets you retrieve accurate information directly from the internet. These functions are likely to be further expanded in the future.

From experiment to an integral part of our work

In two years, ChatGPT has undergone an enormous evolution. It showed us how powerful AI can be, not just as a text generation tool, but as a digital assistant that adapts to our workflows and helps us work faster, smarter, and more creatively.

For those still unsure, technology like ChatGPT isn't just a hype. Just like mobile phones seemed like a luxury in the nineties but are now indispensable, AI will also become increasingly common. Voice-guided interfaces, reasoning models, and advanced personalization are just the beginning. OpenAI continues to innovate, and competitors such as Google Gemini and Anthropic ensure that developments follow each other at breakneck speed.

Today, as I'm eating a cake to celebrate this milestone, I think back with admiration to how far we've come. Two years ago, we could hardly imagine how big the impact of a simple chatbot would be. And now, with the continued innovations in Silicon Valley, it's clear: this is just the beginning.

Congratulations, ChatGPT. On to the next two years!