Measuring global AI diffusion remains challenging due to a lack of population-normalized, cross-country usage data. We introduce AI User Share, a novel indicator that estimates the share of each country's working-age population actively using AI tools. Built from anonymized Microsoft telemetry and adjusted for device access and mobile scaling, this metric spans 147 economies and provides consistent, real-time insight into global AI diffusion. We find wide variation in adoption, with a strong correlation between AI User Share and GDP. High uptake is concentrated in developed economies, though usage among internet-connected populations in lower-income countries reveals substantial latent demand. We also detect sharp increases in usage following major product launches, such as DeepSeek in early 2025. While the metric's reliance solely on Microsoft telemetry introduces potential biases related to this user base, it offers an important new lens into how AI is spreading globally. AI User Share enables timely benchmarking that can inform data-driven AI policy.

翻译：由于缺乏人口标准化、跨国界的使用数据，衡量全球人工智能扩散仍然具有挑战性。我们引入了一种新颖指标——人工智能用户占比，该指标用于估算各国劳动年龄人口中积极使用人工智能工具的比例。该指标基于微软的匿名遥测数据构建，并针对设备访问和移动端使用规模进行了调整，覆盖147个经济体，为全球人工智能扩散提供了连续、实时的洞察。我们发现人工智能的采用情况存在显著差异，人工智能用户占比与国内生产总值之间存在强相关性。高采用率主要集中在发达经济体，但低收入国家中互联网接入人群的使用情况显示出巨大的潜在需求。我们还观察到，在重大产品发布（例如2025年初的DeepSeek）后，使用量会急剧上升。尽管该指标仅依赖微软遥测数据，可能引入与该用户群体相关的潜在偏差，但它为理解人工智能如何在全球范围内传播提供了一个重要的新视角。人工智能用户占比能够实现及时的基准测试，从而为数据驱动的人工智能政策制定提供信息。