Microsoft says global generative AI usage rises to 18.8% in Q2 2026, gap widens between Global North and South

• The UAE led adoption at 73.3%, followed by Singapore at 64.3%.
• South Korea posted the biggest quarterly increase at 3.5 percentage points.
• Japan rose 2.2 points, about 10% versus Q1.

Microsoft expects broader measurement in the next report to lift user-share estimates across most economies, with larger increases projected in China.

Microsoft published a Global AI Diffusion Report showing generative AI usage rose to 18.8% of the world’s working-age population in June.

The Global North–South gap widened, with usage at 28.8% in the North versus 16.2% in the South.