Microsoft found a third of working-age Americans use AI. The UAE is at 73%.
Microsoft published its Global AI Diffusion report for the second quarter of 2026 on 21 September.
It measures the share of people aged 15 to 64 who used a generative AI product. Microsoft uses anonymised telemetry adjusted for device share and internet access, then accounts for population.
Worldwide, AI use reached 18.8% of the working-age population in June, about 1 point up on the first quarter. The UAE led at 73.3%. Singapore followed at 64.3%, Microsoft says.
The United States rose from 31.3% to 33% but held its rank of 21st, MediaPost reported on 22 September. Saudi Arabia climbed five places, from 30th to 25th. South Korea added 3.5 points, the largest absolute gain.
The gap between richer and poorer countries widened. Usage is 28.8% in the Global North, compared with 16.2% in the Global South. Microsoft says its next report will count newer AI tools. It expects that change to lift the numbers almost everywhere, with larger increases in China.
What share of your ERP users touched an AI feature last month?
Sources
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