Microsoft has published the results of a global study of the development of artificial intelligence, the AI Diffusion Report. It contains an assessment of the implementation of AI in different countries of the world, including Ukraine.
Microsoft has published the results of a global study of the development of artificial intelligence, the AI Diffusion Report. It contains an assessment of the implementation of AI in different countries of the world, including Ukraine.
The report was prepared by the AI Economy Institute think tank, according to a Microsoft press release.
«Artificial intelligence has become a new general-purpose technology — and the fastest-growing in human history. In less than three years, more than 1.2 billion people have used AI tools — faster than the Internet, personal computers, or smartphones,» the researchers say.
The AI Diffusion Report notes that AI relies on three other technologies—electricity, communications, and computing—and that its adoption is fastest where these foundations exist and slowest where they do not.
«Nearly four billion people — half the world’s population — still lack the necessary basic knowledge to use AI,» the researchers note.
The report shows that the number of AI models continues to grow, and the gap in their performance is constantly narrowing. The US, led by OpenAI’s GPT-5, remains the leader, with China less than six months behind. Only seven countries — the US, China, France, South Korea, the UK, Canada and Israel — are in the top 200 models, and the gap between the leading country (the US) and the last one (Israel) is now only 11 months. The US and China account for 86% of the world’s data center capacity.
Researchers note that AI technology is based on data and content written in human language.
«The open web, where most of humanity’s knowledge is stored, is the most important data source for AI. However, half of this content is in English, even though English is spoken as a native language by only 5% of the world’s population. For resource-constrained languages, AI models are often less effective or even non-existent,» the report says.
Microsoft researchers have a unique opportunity to assess the level of AI adoption in different countries by analyzing aggregated and anonymized telemetry data from over a billion Windows devices.
«While this dataset does not include non-Windows devices, we have addressed this limitation by including third-party data on Windows market share and the relative distribution of desktop and mobile usage,» explained the authors of the AI Diffusion Report.
The highest rates of AI adoption are observed in the UAE (59.4%), Singapore (58.6%), Norway (45.3%), and Ireland (41.7%)—countries that are not traditionally considered AI powerhouses. While the UAE has already started developing its own models, it has not yet achieved a technological breakthrough, suggesting that strong infrastructure, policy coordination, and digital readiness can facilitate rapid adoption even without a breakthrough in development.
The top 10 also includes France, Spain, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Qatar.
Ukraine has an AI adoption rate of 9,1%. This puts it ahead of Angola, Madagascar, and Mozambique, but behind Iran, Pakistan, and Nicaragua.
This indicator for Ukraine is associated with the consequences of the war, which affected the economy and digital infrastructure. However, Ukraine has significant potential for rapid growth: with investments in technology, internet connectivity and digital skills, the country can become one of the regional
leaders in AI development, according to Microsoft.
«Technology is vital for Ukraine today. Artificial intelligence is already strengthening cybersecurity and helping businesses and organizations remain resilient. Despite the still relatively low level of AI adoption, strategic investments in connectivity, digital and AI-
skills, as well as language accessibility, can accelerate development and support the country’s recovery,» says Leonid Polupan, Director of Microsoft in Ukraine and the Baltic States.
According to him, by using advanced technologies and the experience of more mature markets, Ukraine can rebuild faster after the war.
