The United Arab Emirates has placed third globally in annual growth rates for artificial intelligence (AI) application adoption, according to the AI Adoption Index by Cybernews.

The study shows that the UAE’s AI usage rate rose sharply from 10% in 2023 to 27% in 2024, reaching 56% in 2025. Over the same period, downloads of AI applications increased from 1.1 million to 6.3 million, a 107% year-on-year rise from 2024 to 2025.

The research, which covers 64 countries and represents approximately 70% of global GDP and 55% of the world’s population, found that adoption is advancing more rapidly in digitally emerging economies than in several major advanced markets.

It identifies early national strategies, digital literacy, and infrastructure as key drivers of AI uptake, beyond a country’s gross domestic product.

The UAE introduced the world’s first national AI strategy in 2017 and has since integrated AI across public services, infrastructure, and economic sectors. An updated UAE Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031 aims to further embed the technology across governance, finance, healthcare, education, and transport. According to the report, this early and sustained strategic focus has underpinned the country’s rapid adoption.

The index also highlights significant disparities in global AI uptake. While the global average is about 25%, adoption rates vary widely, ranging from roughly 66% in Singapore to as low as 7% in countries such as Venezuela, Poland, and Nigeria.