PARIS, France / ConSynSer / – Artificial intelligence adoption is expanding rapidly across OECD economies, but wide gaps between businesses and generations risk limiting its benefits. Large firms are more than twice as likely to use AI as the average firm, according to a new OECD report. Young people are almost five times as likely as older adults to use generative AI. The findings come from the OECD Digital Economy and Society Outlook 2026. The Paris-based organisation published the report this week.
The Outlook estimates that AI was used by 20% of enterprises with 10 or more employees across the OECD in 2025. Among large enterprises with 250 or more employees, the share reached 52%. Smaller firms are expected to narrow the gap in cloud computing adoption by 2030. The divide in AI adoption, however, is projected to persist without targeted support. By the end of the decade, AI uptake among large firms could be nearly 80% higher than the average across all firms.
Generative AI use among individuals reached 37% in 2025, with higher uptake among younger, highly educated and higher-income groups. Older adults are closing the internet gap but not the AI gap. Internet use among 55- to 74-year-olds rose from 58% in 2015 to 87% in 2025. Yet only 14% of older adults reported using generative AI, compared with 68% of 16- to 24-year-olds. Among older adults, 43% said they saw no need for AI.
Smaller firms face cost and skills barriers
OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said AI adoption among firms continues to expand. He said making the most of its potential for productivity and competitiveness requires adoption to spread to firms of every size. Cormann, a former Australian finance minister, pointed to wider access to cloud services, targeted support for AI and big data and stronger open standards. The report finds that limited access to finance, digital infrastructure and specialised skills continues to hold back smaller businesses.
Firms also face implementation costs and uncertainty about legal and data protection requirements. Many report difficulties integrating AI into existing systems, a challenge that has also left many generative AI pilots short of expectations. More than half of enterprises across the OECD already use cloud computing. Combined use of AI, cloud computing and big data analytics remains concentrated in large firms and knowledge-intensive sectors. Venture capital investment in AI infrastructure and hosting firms rose from $54.5 billion in 2024 to $123.9 billion in 2025.
Cybersecurity climbs the policy agenda
Governments are also changing how they manage the digital transition. Based on 1,497 policy initiatives across 42 countries in 2025, the report finds a shift from technology-neutral approaches towards technology-specific policies. AI was the most frequently cited technology in those initiatives. Digital government remained the leading policy priority over the past decade. Cybersecurity rose to second place in 2025, its highest position since the data began. Debate over AI governance has also reached the workplace.
Responsibility for national digital strategies is shifting to dedicated ministries. Among countries with a national digital strategy, 60% gave primary responsibility to a dedicated digital ministry in 2025, up from 24% in 2016. The ICT sector across the OECD is estimated to have grown by 5% in 2025. The report says ICT value creation and sourcing remain highly concentrated, with a small number of countries acting as key production and supply hubs. It reflects both efficiency gains and cross-border interdependencies.