Korea leads surge in global AI adoption as Asia becomes new tech engine

Korea displayed the fastest growth in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption worldwide in the first quarter of 2026, according to a report released Tuesday by Microsoft, signaling a shift in the global tech landscape as Asian economies outpace the rest of the world. The report, “Global AI Diffusion Q1 2026 Trends and Insights,” found that Korea’s usage rate jumped by 6.4 percentage points to 37.1 percent. The surge reflects a broader acceleration across Asia, which now claims 12 of the 15 fastest-growing AI markets globally, including significant gains in Thailand and Japan. Issued by Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute, the findings attributed the regional momentum to aggressive government-led strategies, long-term investments in digital infrastructure and a high degree of consumer openness to new technologies. The development of more sophisticated Asian-language AI models has also lowered barriers to entry for millions of workers. While Korea led in growth, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore remained the world leaders in total adoption, with usage rates of 70.1 percent and 63.

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