UAE Extends Global Lead in Generative AI Adoption with Rapid Growth Across Government and Education

The UAE continues to lead the world in AI adoption, according to the latest report from Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute. Microsoft measures AI diffusion as the share of people aged 15 to 64 who have used a generative AI product or app during the reporting period.

Adoption in the UAE continues to rise rapidly, climbing from 59.4 per cent in the first half of 2025 to 64 per cent in the second half of 2025, and reaching 70.1 per cent in early 2026. This performance places the UAE at more than four times the global average of 17.8 per cent, with worldwide adoption having risen from 16.3 per cent during the first quarter of 2026.

While Singapore remains in second place with an increase of 5.7 percentage points since the first half of 2025, AI adoption in the UAE has expanded at more than twice that speed. The UAE surged by 13.9 percentage points over the same period, reaching a peak of 73.3 per cent.

This dominant position is driven by a concerted strategic push to transition AI from mere experimentation into daily integration across government operations, workplaces, and educational institutions. Experts in AI policy have highlighted to The National that this proactive early adoption has secured the UAE's front-running position in the digital race.

The nation aims to deliver half of all federal government services through AI agents within two years, alongside comprehensive plans to train 80,000 federal employees—ranging from ministers and senior executives to new recruits—in agentic AI. In Abu Dhabi, 35,000 government employees already have access to Microsoft Copilot, supporting a wider strategy to embed artificial intelligence into everyday professional tools.

Furthermore, this digital transformation starts at an early age. AI is now a core subject in UAE government schools from kindergarten through grade 12, educating students on data, algorithms, applications, risks, and ethics. The government has also approved an official AI curriculum across both public and private schools, with initiatives underway to train 22,000 teachers and educators in leveraging AI for teaching, student assessment, and lesson planning.