The state of global AI diffusion in 2026

Global AI usage increased by 1.5 percentage points in the first quarter of 2026, rising from 16.3% to 17.8% of the world’s working age population.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) continued to lead in AI adoption with 70.1%, topping the Microsoft National AI Leaderboard, while the US moved up to 21st place with a 31.3% usage rate.
There was notable acceleration in AI adoption in Asia, especially in South Korea, Thailand, and Japan, owing to improvements in AI capabilities in Asian languages.
The AI gap between the Global North and South has widened, with the Global North showing a 27.5% adoption rate compared to 15.4% in the Global South.
AI diffusion measures the share of people aged 15 to 64 who have used a generative AI product during the reported period, according to metrics enhanced by considering internet penetration, OS market share, and country population.
Sectorally, AI coding capabilities were strengthened by tools like Anthropic’s Claude Code, and there was a 78% year-over-year increase in global Git pushes, contributing to an increase in software developer employment.