World Needs AI
English
English日本語Españolעברית
Markets & investment

Adopting Fast and Slow: Business Adoption of Artificial Intelligence

Cross-country evidence on the pace and concentration of business AI adoption.

Publisher
World Bank
Publication
August 2026
Length
25 pages
Language
English
£199 GBP

PDF download and private email delivery after payment. Purchases are not open yet.

Published by the named institution. Delivered as an English PDF file. Download and save your copy within 7 days of payment.

World Bank

Adopting Fast and Slow: Business Adoption of Artificial Intelligence

2026 / RESEARCH

Independent research index / editorial cover

About this report

An empirical study of business AI adoption using nationally representative firm surveys across the United States and several developing economies. It distinguishes whether firms use AI from how sophisticated that use is, including application breadth and customization. The paper relates adoption to company size, previous digital capabilities, innovation and reported constraints. Use it to compare adoption depth across markets, challenge simple user-count comparisons and identify organizational complements to AI, while keeping the survey design and the distinction between association and causation in view.

The PDF is in English. This introduction and content guide are available in your selected language.

Who it is for

  • Researchers and analysts
  • Policy and governance teams
  • Business and strategy leaders

Inside this report

  1. Representative firm surveys across countries
  2. AI adoption versus sophistication of use
  3. Company size, innovation and digital foundations
  4. Reported constraints and knowledge gaps
  5. Business outcomes and interpretation limits
KEEP EXPLORING

More on this topic.

All research ↗