Fact of the Week: 36.8 Percent of Individuals in OECD Countries Used Generative AI Tools in 2025
Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, (OECD ICT Access and Usage Database; accessed February 26, 2026).
Commentary: Adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries is increasing rapidly, with both firms and individuals adopting AI at much greater rates than in previous years. In 2025, more than one-third of individuals (36.8 percent) used generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude. Young people and students were the most likely to use these tools, with over 75 percent of students aged 16 and over reporting having used generative AI over the course of the year. Conversely, AI adoption was lower among older individuals, with only 14 percent of 55 to 75-year-olds having used the technology last year.
Adoption also increased in firms, with over 20 percent having used AI in 2025, up from 14.2 percent in 2024. Adoption was highest in ICT firms and knowledge-intensive industries, while adoption rates were low in labor-intensive industries such as construction and warehousing. Among the countries surveyed, Scandinavian countries had the highest adoption rates, with Denmark, Finland, and Sweden having the three highest rates of AI adoption among firms, while Norway led for the highest adoption rate among individuals.
