The United Arab Emirates has emerged as a global leader in the adoption and utilization of generative artificial intelligence tools, according to Microsoft’s Global AI Adoption Report 2025.
The analytical data, which covered 147 countries, revealed that the UAE has the highest usage rate in the world, with 64% of the working-age population engaged with these technologies. This puts it ahead of established tech hubs and key competitors like Singapore, which ranked second, followed by Norway, Ireland, and France.
The report attributes the UAE’s remarkable performance to a proactive national strategy that has been developing since 2017. The government has successfully implemented AI applications widely across public services and within nine vital priority sectors.
A significant contrast is evident when comparing the UAE’s performance with the global average; countries in the “Global North” recorded an adoption rate of 24.7%, while it dropped to 14.1% in the “Global South.” In the United States, the adoption rate stood at 28.3%, placing it 24th in the world. Trust plays a crucial role in the UAE’s technological leadership.
Data from the Edelman Trust Index indicate that 67% of the UAE’s population has confidence in AI technologies, which is over double the trust level seen in the United States. This occurs at a time when caution prevails in Western markets.
In Canada, enthusiasm for AI wanes to 36%, while France records 38%. In contrast, the UAE has developed a balanced model that integrates governance with innovation.
The report highlights that the global disparity in the adoption of these technologies is closely linked to the level of investments in infrastructure and a supportive regulatory environment, establishing the UAE as a pioneering model for harnessing AI to benefit both the economy and society.