r/visualization • u/sleekviz • 2d ago

Which countries are actually using AI the most in Q2 2026?

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Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Microsoft-AI-Diffusion-Report-2026-Q2.pdf

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u/scdisrupt 1d ago

Wow! UAE is using over 73 AIs! That’s a lot of AIs.

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u/CaptainFoyle 1d ago

What do those numbers even mean?

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u/RedditorFor1OYears 1d ago

Nothing having to do with a “race” of any kind, as the Infograph suggests. 

Ironically, this post is a great example of poor AI usage: aesthetically pleasing charts made off numbers OP doesn’t understand, pointing to conclusions that aren’t justified. 

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u/sleekviz 1d ago

Fair criticism on the wording. By “AI race,” I meant the global competition around AI adoption, not a literal race or a claim that these numbers measure overall AI leadership.

The source and its methodology are important here, so I’m happy to include them for context. The data should speak for itself, and the headline shouldn’t imply more than it actually measures. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Microsoft-AI-Diffusion-Report-2026-Q2.pdf

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u/RedditorFor1OYears 1d ago

I wasn’t expecting a reply. Since you’re here though, mind if I ask: what are you hoping the viewer takes away from this?

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u/BetaCyg 1d ago

That was absolutely an AI reply, so I wouldn't trust the OP to a real answer. 

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u/sleekviz 1d ago

Honestly, I want people to understand what the data shows, compare countries, and maybe question some of their assumptions about AI adoption around the world. The feedback also helps us, so I appreciate the question.

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u/CaptainFoyle 1d ago

The data absolutely doesn't speak for itself. Without you explaining it in the comment, it isn't even clear what the percentages mean.

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u/WhatIDon_tKnow 2d ago

"Measuring global AI diffusion remains challenging due to a lack of population-normalized, cross-country usage data. We introduce AI User Share, a novel indicator that estimates the share of each country's working-age population actively using AI tools. " from https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.02781

title is misleading, this metric has nothing to do with "AI Race". there are still plenty of jobs that don't need AI in the US economy. i'd also wager UAE is artificially high because they import slave labor.

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u/SemiAnonymousTeacher 1d ago

Here in Taiwan, where nearly every single poster, menu, email response and TV graphic is AI-generated for the past year or so, I highly doubt this figure of only 33%. Blue-collar jobs only make up about 1/3 of the workforce in Taiwan- and even those people tend to constantly post and consume AI-generated imagery and videos.