Microsoft: Global AI Use Hits 18.8%, And The Gap Is Widening
Microsoft published its latest Global AI Diffusion Report, written by Chief Data Scientist Juan Lavista Ferres. It states that in June, AI usage was 18.8% of the working-age population worldwide, up about 1% from the first quarter of 2026, with almost every economy seeing increased usage.
Transcript
Microsoft released new global AI usage numbers. Here is what they show.
Microsoft published a new global AI diffusion report. In June, AI usage was eighteen point eight percent of working age people worldwide.
Microsoft says the gap between the Global North and South widened. Northern usage is close to twenty nine percent.
These figures come from Microsoft telemetry that the company adjusts itself. Microsoft writes that no single metric is perfect, and puts southern usage at sixteen point two percent.
The post names no United States figure. Microsoft says the next report will change the measure and expects higher numbers.
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Sources
Every claim in this video comes from the top ranking coverage of this topic. The claims and where each one came from:
- Today we published our latest Global AI Diffusion Report.(Microsoft (blogs.microsoft.com, On the Issues), first party corporate blog post titled "The continued state of global AI diffusion in 2026", dated Sep 21, 2026, bylined Juan Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist, Microsoft; read from the alert-time snapshot captured 2026-09-22T18:05:08Z and re-verified against the live URL.)
- In June, AI usage was 18.8% of the working-age population worldwide, an increase of about 1% from the first quarter of this year.(Microsoft (blogs.microsoft.com, On the Issues), first party corporate blog post titled "The continued state of global AI diffusion in 2026", dated Sep 21, 2026, bylined Juan Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist, Microsoft; read from the alert-time snapshot captured 2026-09-22T18:05:08Z and re-verified against the live URL.)
- we continue to measure AI diffusion as the share of people worldwide ages of 15 and 64 who have used a generative AI product during the reported period.(Microsoft (blogs.microsoft.com, On the Issues), first party corporate blog post titled "The continued state of global AI diffusion in 2026", dated Sep 21, 2026, bylined Juan Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist, Microsoft; read from the alert-time snapshot captured 2026-09-22T18:05:08Z and re-verified against the live URL.)
- Worldwide, the quarter brought a continued widening of the AI gap between the Global North and South(Microsoft (blogs.microsoft.com, On the Issues), first party corporate blog post titled "The continued state of global AI diffusion in 2026", dated Sep 21, 2026, bylined Juan Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist, Microsoft; read from the alert-time snapshot captured 2026-09-22T18:05:08Z and re-verified against the live URL.)
- with usage now at 28.8% in the North(Microsoft (blogs.microsoft.com, On the Issues), first party corporate blog post titled "The continued state of global AI diffusion in 2026", dated Sep 21, 2026, bylined Juan Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist, Microsoft; read from the alert-time snapshot captured 2026-09-22T18:05:08Z and re-verified against the live URL.)
- and 16.2% in the South.(Microsoft (blogs.microsoft.com, On the Issues), first party corporate blog post titled "The continued state of global AI diffusion in 2026", dated Sep 21, 2026, bylined Juan Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist, Microsoft; read from the alert-time snapshot captured 2026-09-22T18:05:08Z and re-verified against the live URL.)
- This measure is derived from aggregated and anonymized Microsoft telemetry data and is adjusted to reflect differences in operating system and device market share, internet penetration, and population.(Microsoft (blogs.microsoft.com, On the Issues), first party corporate blog post titled "The continued state of global AI diffusion in 2026", dated Sep 21, 2026, bylined Juan Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist, Microsoft; read from the alert-time snapshot captured 2026-09-22T18:05:08Z and re-verified against the live URL.)
- No single metric is perfect, and this one is no exception.(Microsoft (blogs.microsoft.com, On the Issues), first party corporate blog post titled "The continued state of global AI diffusion in 2026", dated Sep 21, 2026, bylined Juan Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist, Microsoft; read from the alert-time snapshot captured 2026-09-22T18:05:08Z and re-verified against the live URL.)
- The post states no United States usage figure at any point. The only economies named by figure or rank are the UAE, Singapore, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan and China.(Microsoft (blogs.microsoft.com, On the Issues), first party corporate blog post titled "The continued state of global AI diffusion in 2026", dated Sep 21, 2026, bylined Juan Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist, Microsoft; read from the alert-time snapshot captured 2026-09-22T18:05:08Z and re-verified against the live URL.)
- For our next report, we will expand our measure to include usage of these new tools and expect this update to increase AI user share across almost all economies, with larger projected increases in China.(Microsoft (blogs.microsoft.com, On the Issues), first party corporate blog post titled "The continued state of global AI diffusion in 2026", dated Sep 21, 2026, bylined Juan Lavista Ferres, Chief Data Scientist, Microsoft; read from the alert-time snapshot captured 2026-09-22T18:05:08Z and re-verified against the live URL.)