One in six people worldwide now use generative AI as adoption accelerates unevenly

Global adoption of artificial intelligence rose by 1.2 percentage points in the second half of 2025, leaving roughly one in six people worldwide using generative AI tools, according to new analysis published by Microsoft.

In a blog post, Microsoft said the findings reflect updated work by the Microsoft AI Economy Institute, which is refining how AI diffusion is measured across countries. The institute currently relies on what it describes as the strongest cross-country metric available, while planning to layer in additional indicators over time to capture how use deepens and broadens.

The data highlight a widening gap between regions. Adoption in the Global North grew nearly twice as fast as in the Global South during the period, with 24.7% of the working-age population in the Global North using AI tools compared with 14.1% in the Global South. Microsoft said countries that invested early in digital infrastructure and skills development continue to pull ahead.

At the top of the rankings sits the United Arab Emirates, where 64.0% of the working-age population was using AI by the end of 2025, up from 59.4% earlier in the year. The UAE now leads Singapore by about three percentage points, with Singapore at 60.9%. Other high-performing countries include Norway, Ireland, France and Spain, which Microsoft linked to sustained public and private investment in connectivity, education and enterprise adoption.

The United States presents a more mixed picture. Microsoft said the country continues to lead globally in AI infrastructure and frontier model development, but slipped from 23rd to 24th place in usage, with 28.3% of the working-age population using AI tools. By contrast, South Korea recorded one of the largest jumps, moving from 25th to 18th. Microsoft attributed that rise to coordinated government policy, improved Korean-language models, wider deployment in schools and public services, growing consumer-facing features and the opening of an OpenAI office in Seoul.

The blog post also pointed to the role of open-source platforms in shaping global adoption patterns. Microsoft highlighted DeepSeek, an AI system released under an MIT licence with a free chatbot, which it said is gaining traction in markets underserved by traditional providers. DeepSeek’s strongest adoption has been seen in China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and Belarus, with usage also rising rapidly across parts of Africa through promotion and partnerships involving companies such as Huawei.

Microsoft said these trends point to an emerging competition over national and regional AI models, where accessibility, language support and distribution partnerships matter as much as raw technical capability. As generative AI spreads beyond early adopters, the company argued, the pace and direction of global diffusion will increasingly be shaped by policy choices and openness, not just innovation at the frontier.

The Recap

• Global AI adoption rose 1.2 percentage points in late 2025.
• Global North usage 24.7 percent versus Global South 14.1 percent.
• DeepSeek adoption rose in China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, and Belarus.