Microsoft’s latest report on generative artificial intelligence (AI) adoption finds that Hungary is the leader in the Visegrád (V4) region: 33.3% of the population aged 15–64 used some form of generative AI in the past quarter. This rate places Hungary ahead of Poland (32.3%), the Czech Republic (31.2%) and Slovakia (27.1%).
On the global ranking, Hungary occupies 20th place, dropping one position after Taiwan moved ahead.
Adoption alone does not guarantee economic benefits
Microsoft warns that broad access to AI is not sufficient to deliver economic gains. Globally, 18.8% of the working-age population has used generative AI, while top adopters include the United Arab Emirates (73.3%) and Singapore (64.3%). The report also notes a persistent gap in technology access between the global North and South.
According to the company, converting AI usage into measurable productivity and value requires deliberate, high-quality application and the redesign of workflows, not merely increasing the number of users.
Labor-market findings and the transformation paradox
A workforce survey involving 20,000 participants highlighted that AI effectiveness depends more on corporate culture, leadership support and talent management than on individual attitudes. The survey identified a so-called transformation paradox: 65% of respondents fear falling behind if they do not adapt to new tools, yet almost half are reluctant to change their established work methods.
Only 13% of employees feel their workplace recognises innovation experiments even when they do not immediately deliver expected results. Microsoft and experts therefore argue that successful transition requires new leadership incentives and metrics, as well as deliberate redesign of roles.
Education and responsible use
Similar challenges appear in education, where the emphasis is shifting from broad access to high-quality, responsible use. The aim is for AI to support critical thinking and teaching practice meaningfully, not merely provide quick answers.
Long-term competitiveness
An analysis based on anonymised telemetry from 147 economies concludes that long-term gains in competitiveness will come to countries that combine technological access with responsible, intentional everyday use. The report thus recommends focusing policy and organisational effort on the quality and governance of use, not only on uptake figures.
Related event
Microsoft’s findings and practical application will be discussed with case studies and workshops at the Portfolio AI & Digital Transformation conference on November 26.
Note: an AI assistant contributed to article preparation; the final content was edited and checked by a journalist.
