Kenya has emerged as the world’s most enthusiastic adopter of artificial intelligence, with nearly every internet user in the country now deploying AI tools in their daily lives, a new global survey shows.
According to the Digital 2026 Mid-year Global Update Report released this week, a staggering 97.5 percent of Kenyan internet users aged 16 and above are using AI – a figure that puts the country ahead of tech-savvy nations and leaves even the oil-rich United Arab Emirates trailing in second place at 94.2 percent.
Indonesia came in third at 93.6 percent, with Egypt rounding out the top four at 93.4 percent.
The numbers paint a picture of a country that has quietly become an AI powerhouse, with students, workers, businesses and even your neighbourhood shopkeeper turning to the technology to get ahead.
From university students using AI to polish their assignments to companies automating everything from customer care to credit scoring, the technology has seeped into virtually every corner of Kenyan life.
Safaricom, the country’s telecommunications giant, has been at the forefront of this AI revolution, embedding the technology across its platforms, including M-Pesa customer care services and fraud detection systems, a move that has helped the firm stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated financial criminals.
But it is not just the big corporates getting in on the act.
Small and medium enterprises are also riding the AI wave, using the technology to streamline operations, cut costs and punch above their weight in competitive markets.
The report comes as vindication for Kenya’s tech enthusiasts who have argued that the country’s youthful, digitally savvy population and thriving innovation ecosystem position it as a natural leader in emerging technologies.
Other African countries also posted impressive numbers, with South Africa recording 89.9 percent AI uptake and Nigeria at 89.4 percent.
Kenya’s top ranking is likely to fuel further investment in AI infrastructure and skills development, with the government and private sector already jostling to position the country as the go-to destination for AI innovation in Africa.
