Only 20% of adult internet users in Japan adopt AI: Survey

TOKYO – Only about 20 per cent of adults using the internet in Japan have used artificial intelligence (AI) in the past year, a recent study showed, suggesting Japan’s slowness in adopting the new technology compared with other countries.

The study based on an online survey conducted in January 2025 by a Chiba University team also revealed for the first time an “AI divide”, or usage rate gaps by age, gender and living environment, in the country, it said.

In the survey, 2,847 of 13,367, or 21.3 per cent of respondents, had used services such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini within the past year.

A similar government study in fiscal 2024 put Japan’s AI usage experience rate at 26.7 per cent – far below 81.2 per cent in China, 68.6 per cent in the US and 59.2 per cent in Germany.

The latest study, published in Telematics and Informatics, showed the usage rate among men was 1.8 times that of women, while those aged between 18 and 54 used AI 1.4 to 1.7 times more than people aged 75 and older.

The use of AI was more prevalent among other groups, including students, individuals with a high level of education and people with certain personality traits, such as openness.

Among non-users, about 40 per cent said not feeling a need for the technology was the reason they did not use it.

Younger respondents were more likely to cite a lack of appealing services as the reason they did not use it, while middle-aged and older people were more likely to say they did not know how to use it. Many in older groups also pointed to security concerns and an unsuitable environment as reasons for their reluctance.

Dr Atsushi Nakagomi, an associate professor at Chiba University who led the research team, said the study revealed reasons for not using generative AI differ, depending on one’s generation and level of digital literacy. KYODO NEWS