The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore, and Norway have emerged as global frontrunners in the rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), while Pakistan remains significantly behind, with less than 15% of its population using AI tools, according to a new report.
The statistics were revealed in the “AI Diffusion Report 2025,” released by Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute. The report shows that more than 50% of people in the UAE and Singapore rely on AI technologies in their daily tasks, placing both countries at the top of the global rankings.
The report identifies Pakistan’s slow adoption of AI as a result of limited internet access, lack of digital skills, and the absence of AI tools in local languages. Experts noted that countries where citizens can access AI in their native languages—such as English or Arabic—are witnessing faster acceptance and integration of the technology.
Among Muslim-majority countries, the UAE leads in AI integration, while Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Qatar, and Indonesia are also investing in AI education, data centers, and government-backed programmes to expand AI usage.
The report further highlights that Israel is among the seven countries developing advanced AI models, ranking behind the United States, China, South Korea, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
It recommends urgent measures to narrow the widening AI adoption gap between developed and developing nations to ensure equal access to the benefits of this transformative technology.
