By Rest of World
Publication Date: 2026-01-14 11:00:00
Artificial intelligence adoption is increasing worldwide, but new data shows some countries are significantly outperforming others, while the gap between developed and developing nations has widened. The United Arab Emirates and Singapore are the standouts, with over 60% of the population in both countries using some type of generative AI tool last year. This is according to a recent report from Microsoft that measured AI penetration, or the percentage of the population using generative AI, around the world.
There are also a growing number of data centers in both countries, although the high temperatures create relatively unsuitable operating conditions.
In contrast, 14 of the 24 countries in South and Central America had adoption rates below 20%, including Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil. Most of the region’s AI adoption is being driven by government agencies, while private companies lag behind due to high costs and lack of technical skills, according to the…
