Global AI Penetration in Business is Low at Beginning of 2026

How many Americans have even tried AI yet? Only 40-45%. Globally? 10-15%. 

Some interesting stats:

The American Pew Research Center in Washington, DC (also simply known as Pew) is a nonpartisan American think tank that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, and content analysis to inform the public about issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world. It provides data on topics like technology, without taking policy positions. 

They surveyed 25 countries on AI sentiment. I have copy pasted from their website some interesting facts about what they found in the job market:

• Most American workers (65%) still say they don’t use AI much or at all in their job.
• The small share of those who say all or most of their work is done with AI is unchanged from 2024 (2%). But the share who say some of their work is done with AI increased from 14% to 19%.
• Meanwhile, the share of workers who say they have not heard or read about AI use in the workplace decreased from 17% to 12%.
• About one in six workers (16%) say at least some of their work is currently done with AI. And an additional 25% say, while they’re not using it much now, at least some of their work can be done with AI.
• In two years, the share of employed adults who say they use ChatGPT for work has risen by 20 percentage points to 28%. 
• Of the 10-15% of all people globally using AI, most are using free models. 
• These shares are significantly higher among young workers and workers with at least a bachelor’s degree.
• Chatbots are seen as more helpful for speeding up work than improving its quality.
• Among those who’ve used AI chatbots for work, the most common uses are research (57% have used them for this), editing written content (52%) and drafting written content (47%).

Four-in-ten say they’ve used AI chatbots at work to:

• Summarize information from documents or meetings (40%)
• Come up with new ideas, such as new projects or creative solutions (35%)
• Help with analysing data or writing computer code (27%)
• Create or edit images or videos (21%)
• Among workers who are not AI chatbot users, 36% say a major reason they have never used AI chatbots for work is that there isn’t any use for them in their job.
• The most pessimistic country? The United States. More pessimistic than Europe. Meanwhile, China is one of the most optimistic, and lower-income nations are bullish across the board. The pessimism is cultural, not data-driven. 
• Older users treat AI like Google+++. Millennials and Gen Z use it as a companion, therapist, health coach, and learning tool. 
• There’s a schizophrenia in society: educators say AI is wrecking education, while others using AI say it’s the best educational tool ever invented. The institutions haven’t caught up. Schools are banning it. Corporations are blocking it. Meanwhile, it is alleged that the people actually using it, are becoming superhuman.

In the South African Job Market:

OfferZen surveyed South African tech leaders to understand what’s really happening on their teams, and what support tech leaders need most. The result was THE-ENGINEERING-LEADERSHIP-REPORT-2025

A total of 331 people took the online survey between 25 August and 15 September 2025.

Of these responses, 292 were counted as valid. 

This report shares insights from South African tech leaders on how they’re managing teams, growing as leaders, and adapting to AI in the workplace.

South African tech teams have near universal AI adoption with 97% of tech leaders reporting that their teams are using AI at work, but 54% of leaders think AI’s current abilities are overhyped.

57% of South African tech teams say AI has made them faster; most say that although it's increased the speed of code writing, it has also moved the blockers downstream. Only 35% report quality gains. 

68% are prioritising critical thinking and problem-solving over pure technical ability.

69% are preferring candidates who can leverage AI effectively. In other words, the goalposts are shifting from “Can you code it?” to “Can you think it through and use the right tools to move faster?”

43% of women leaders feel isolated vs 28% of men.

59% business leaders in SA say AI has changed how they think about hiring.

Some forecasters say: Expect capabilities to double every 6 months. What’s impossible today is routine next year.

Majorities say AI should play at least a small role in:

• Forecasting the weather (74%)
• Searching for financial crimes (70%)
• Searching for fraud in government benefits claims (70%)
• Developing new medicines (66%)
• Identifying suspects in a crime (61%)

Industry Disparities: 

AI in SA is mostly used for marketing/sales, IT, and content creation rather than core, complex, and recurring processes. AI usage is heavily concentrated in tech (IT) and professional services, with 18.1% of IT firms using it, compared to just 1.4% in construction and agriculture.

Small Business Lag: Small businesses are lagging, with an estimated 8.5% adoption rate, whereas large enterprises in the EU see over 55% adoption.

In General:

The American public see a role for AI in some areas of society, but want more control over its use. About half say it will erode people’s ability to think creatively and form meaningful relationships. Businesses are either bullish about AI, or heavily cautious.