{"type":"script","doc_desc":{"producers":[{"name":"Reproducibility WBG","abbr":"DECDI","affiliation":"World Bank - Development Impact Department","role":"Verification and preparation of metadata"}],"prod_date":"2025-09-23","version":"1"},"project_desc":{"authoring_entity":[{"name":"Yan Liu","affiliation":"World Bank","email":"yanliu@worldbank.org"},{"name":"Jingyun Huang","affiliation":"World Bank, Rice University","email":"jhuang8@worldbank.org"},{"name":"He Wang","affiliation":"World Bank","email":"hwang21@worldbank.org"}],"title_statement":{"title":"Reproducibility package for Who On Earth Is Using Generative AI? Global Trends And Shifts In 2025","idno":"RR_WLD_2025_420"},"data_statement":"Some data is restricted and has not been included in the reproducibility package. For more details, please refer to the README file.","software":[{"name":"Stata","version":"18 MP"}],"scripts":[{"title":"Reproducibility package for Who On Earth Is Using Generative AI? Global Trends And Shifts In 2025","date":"2025-09","notes":"Computational reproducibility verified by Development Impact (DECDI) Analytics team, World Bank.","instructions":"See README in reproducibility package.","file_name":"RR_WLD_2025_420","zip_package":"RR_WLD_2025_420.zip","dependencies":"Stata dependencies are listed in the ado folder."}],"repository_uri":[{"name":"Reproducible Research Repository (World Bank)","uri":"https:\/\/reproducibility.worldbank.org"}],"production_date":"2025-09-23","abstract":"Nearly three years after ChatGPT\u2019s launch, the generative AI landscape remains in rapid flux. Using high-frequency website traffic data from Semrush, we track global adoption patterns for the 60 most-visited consumer-facing GenAI tools through mid-2025. Five key findings emerge. First, fierce competition drives continuous innovation: two of 2025\u2019s top five tools\u2014DeepSeek and Grok\u2014are new entrants, while development rapidly diversifies into multimodal capabilities, reasoning, and specialized applications. Second, ChatGPT maintains dominance despite competition, accounting for 77% of traffic to the top 60 tools in April 2025. Third, GenAI usage has exploded since mid-2024: ChatGPT traffic grew 123% year-over-year, driven by 42% user growth and 50% increases in visits per user, with session duration doubling. Fourth, high income countries are pulling decisively ahead, creating stark global divides. While 25% of internet users in HICs use ChatGPT, penetration drops to 5.6% in upper-middle-income countries, 3.6% in lower-middle-income countries and just 0.3% in low-income countries. Regression analysis confirms GDP per capita strongly predicts adoption growth. Fifth, localization shapes competitive advantage: non-U.S. tools concentrate heavily in home markets, with Le Chat drawing 69% of traffic from Europe and several Chinese tools exceeding 90% domestic usage. These patterns reveal an AI landscape characterized by intense innovation, persistent market leadership, accelerating growth, and deepening global inequality, underscoring the needs for inclusive policies as GenAI becomes central to economic participation.","geographic_units":[{"name":"World","code":"WLD"}],"keywords":[{"name":"Generative Artificial Intelligence"},{"name":"Technology Adoption"},{"name":"Geographic Disparities"}],"topics":[{"id":"O30","uri":"https:\/\/www.aeaweb.org\/econlit\/jelCodes.php?view=jel","vocabulary":"Journal of Economic Literature (JEL)","name":"General","parent_id":"O3"},{"id":" O31","uri":"https:\/\/www.aeaweb.org\/econlit\/jelCodes.php?view=jel","vocabulary":"Journal of Economic Literature (JEL)","name":"Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives","parent_id":"O3"},{"id":" O14","uri":"https:\/\/www.aeaweb.org\/econlit\/jelCodes.php?view=jel","vocabulary":"Journal of Economic Literature (JEL)","name":"Industrialization \u2022 Manufacturing and Service Industries \u2022 Choice of Technology","parent_id":"O1"}],"output":[{"type":"Working Paper","description":"Policy Research Working Papers (PRWP)","title":"Who On Earth Is Using Generative AI? Global Trends And Shifts In 2025"}],"language":[{"name":"English","code":"EN"}],"technology_requirements":"Run time: 10 minutes","disclaimer":"The materials in the reproducibility packages are distributed as they were prepared by the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development\/The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this event do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, the Executive Directors of the World Bank, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the materials included in the reproducibility package.","license":[{"name":"Modified BSD3","uri":"https:\/\/opensource.org\/license\/bsd-3-clause\/"}],"contacts":[{"name":"Yan Liu","affiliation":"World Bank","email":"yanliu@worldbank.org"},{"name":"Reproducibility WBG","affiliation":"World Bank","email":"reproducibility@worldbank.org"}],"technology_environment":"Paper exhibits were reproduced on a computer with the following specifications:\n\u2022 OS: Windows 11 Enterprise\n\u2022 Processor: INTEL(R) XEON(R) PLATINUM 8562Y+ 2.80 GHz (4 processors)\n\u2022 Memory available: 32.0 GB\n","reproduction_instructions":"1. **Secure Access to Data:** Access the datasets not included in the package. See subsection Datasets and the README for more details.\n2. **Download and Place Data:** Once the data is downloaded, users should place it in the appropriate folder.\n3. **Run the Package:** After placing the data in the folder:\n      - Update the global in line 4 of the do-file \"main\" to your folder's location and run the do-file\n\nSince all the data is not included, the package includes the results produced by replicators in the Results folder. These files can be used to review the results presented in the paper.","datasets":[{"name":"Semrush Web Traffic Data on Generative AI and Benchmark Platforms","note":"Source: Semrush (proprietary, subscription-based). Data were extracted in June 2025 via Semrush\u2019s API and cover January 2021 to May 2025. Institutional subscription and API credentials from Semrush are required (https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/projects\/). Replicators must set up an account and follow the API documentation to retrieve data.\nFile location: data\/raw\/\nFile names: GenAI_by_country_202101_202505.csv; Benchmark_by_country_202101_202505.csv; genai_list2506.xlsx","access_type":"Not included in the package. Requires purchase from the source mentioned above. "},{"name":"Cross-Country Dataset on Generative AI Adoption","note":"Source: Liu, Yan and He Wang (2024). Who on Earth is Using Generative AI? World Bank, Washington, DC, USA. Compiled by the authors using Semrush outcomes combined with country-level covariates. Internal dataset prepared by the World Bank Digital Development team. Cannot be publicly released as it incorporates licensed Semrush data, which is confidential and subject to subscription restrictions. Contact the author He Wang (hwang21@worldbank.org) to access the data. \nFiles: temp\/2024crosscountry_reg.dta\n","access_type":"Not included in the package. Contact the authors (see above) to request access."},{"name":"Country-Level Digital Development Indicators","access_type":"Included in the package","note":"Source: Compiled by the authors using two public datasets: (i) Individuals using the Internet (% of population) from the World Bank\u2019s World Development Indicators (indicator code IT.NET.USER.ZS), available at World Bank (https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/IT.NET.USER.ZS), and (ii) Fixed network speed from Ookla Open Data (https:\/\/github.com\/teamookla\/ookla-open-data). See README for more details.\nFiles: data\/raw\/dt2025.dta"},{"name":"Country Concordance: ISO Codes, Regions, and Income Classifications","note":"Source: Compiled by the authors using World Bank public country metadata (variables including country names, ISO codes, regions, income groups, and lending types from the World Development Indicators) with additional manual edits to harmonize spellings and add group classifications (e.g., EU, OECD, G20, BRICS).\nFiles: data\/raw\/countryname_concordance_FY26.dta","access_type":"Included in the package. "}]},"tags":[{"tag":"DOI"},{"tag":"Open Code"},{"tag":"Restricted Data"}],"schematype":"script"}