The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Portugal increased from 26,4% to 27,4% in the second quarter of 2026, one percentage point higher than in the first three months of the year, according to the latest edition of the Global AI Diffusion Report from the Microsoft AI Economy Institute.

The report analyzes AI usage among the 15-64 age group, based on aggregated and anonymized data from Microsoft. Globally, the usage rate reached 18,8%, also one percentage point higher than in the previous quarter.

Growth was recorded in most of the economies analyzed, although at different rates. Portugal currently occupies the 20th position in Europe and the 36th in the world ranking.

The gap between the Global North and South is widening.

The gap in AI usage between the Global North and the Global South widened in the second quarter. In the Global North, the rate reached 28,8%, while in the Global South it stood at 16,2%, a difference of 12,6 percentage points compared to the 12,1 points recorded in the previous quarter.

According to the report, factors such as connectivity and digital skills continue to influence the spread of technology.

In the Global South, learning takes on a particularly significant role. Autonomous learning and skills development account for 29,2% more than the global average in the conversations analyzed, while schoolwork and academic support have a 32,3% higher weight.

United Arab Emirates leads in usage.

The United Arab Emirates, with 73,3%, and Singapore, with 64,3%, maintain the highest AI usage rates worldwide.

Among the economies analyzed, South Korea recorded the largest quarterly growth, of 3,5 percentage points. Saudi Arabia had the biggest rise in the ranking, advancing five positions and entering the world's top 25.

The report also identifies a growing use of open-weight models. Public data from OpenRouter indicates that these models account for 75% of token usage on that platform, although this figure does not correspond to a share of the global market.

Activity related to the development of AI applications also continues to grow. The number of Hugging Face Spaces increased from approximately 124 at the end of 2023 to 1,46 million in September 2026, representing an approximate growth of 83% since the publication of the first Global AI Diffusion Report.