Artificial intelligence adoption is growing globally, but a significant gap remains between the Global North and South. Microsoft’s Global AI Diffusion Report for the first quarter of 2026 found generative AI usage among working-age populations stood at 27.5 per cent in the Global North, compared with 15.4 per cent in the Global South. The report says closing the gap presents Africa and other countries in the Global Majority with both an economic opportunity and a chance to shape the future of AI