AI use surges globally but rich-poor divide widens, Microsoft says

Generative artificial intelligence is being used by 17.8% of the world’s working-age population, but the gap between wealthy and developing nations continues to widen, according to a report published Tuesday by Microsoft.

In the first quarter of 2026, 27.5 percent of people aged 15-64 in developed countries used a generative AI tool, compared with 15.4% in the developing world – a gap that widened by 1.5 percentage points from the second half of 2025, according to the report’s estimates.