Global adoption of artificial intelligence increased in the second half of 2025, with generative AI usage reaching 16.3 percent of the world’s population, up from 15.1 percent in the first half of the year, according to the AI Diffusion Report 2025 released by the AI Economy Institute (08/01). Roughly one in six people worldwide now use generative AI tools to learn, work, or solve problems.

The report measures AI diffusion as the share of people who used a generative AI product during the period, based on aggregated and anonymized Microsoft telemetry adjusted for operating systems, device markets, internet penetration, and population size.

Global North Outpaces Global South in AI Adoption Growth

Despite rising global usage, the report shows a widening gap between regions. AI adoption in the Global North grew nearly twice as fast as in the Global South during the second half of 2025.

By the end of the year, 24.7 percent of the working-age population in the Global North was using generative AI, compared to 14.1 percent in the Global South. The adoption gap increased from 9.8 to 10.6 percentage points within six months.

UAE Maintains Global Lead While US Ranks Lower in Usage

Countries with early and sustained investment in digital infrastructure, AI skills, and government deployment continue to dominate global rankings. The United Arab Emirates ranked first globally, with 64.0 percent of its working-age population using AI at the end of 2025, up from 59.4 percent earlier in the year.

Singapore ranked second with 60.9 percent adoption, followed by Norway, Ireland, France, and Spain. The United States, while leading in AI infrastructure and frontier model development, ranked 24th globally, with 28.3 percent of its working-age population using generative AI tools.

South Korea Records the Fastest Increase in AI Usage

South Korea posted the largest gain in AI adoption in the second half of 2025, climbing seven places from 25th to 18th in global rankings. Generative AI usage rose from about 26 percent to over 30 percent of the population within three months.

The increase was driven by national policies accelerating AI integration, improved frontier model performance in the Korean language, and consumer-facing features that resonated with users. Generative AI is now used across schools, workplaces, and public services, and South Korea has become one of the fastest-growing ChatGPT markets.

DeepSeek’s Open-Source Model Expands AI Access in New Regions

The report also highlights the rapid rise of DeepSeek, an open-source AI platform that released its model under an MIT license and offers a free chatbot. This approach removed financial and technical barriers to access advanced AI tools.

DeepSeek saw strong adoption in China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Belarus, and across Africa, where usage is estimated to be two to four times higher than in other regions. Strategic promotion and partnerships, including with companies such as Huawei, supported its growth in African markets.

PHOTO: FREEPIK

This article was created with AI assistance.

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