What percentage of Indians use AI?

86% of Indians have used AI products in the past 12 months, according to the Google/Ipsos 2025 survey of 21,043 adults across 21 countries. This is 20 percentage points higher than the global average of 66%.

How does India's AI knowledge compare to other countries?

39% of Indians report deep AI knowledge ('know a lot about AI'), nearly 3x the global average of 14%. This makes India the global leader in AI literacy among the 21 countries surveyed.

Are Indians optimistic or concerned about AI?

69% of Indians have net positive sentiment about AI (excited or mostly excited), compared to 53% globally. Only 9% of Indians expressed pure concern about AI risks, versus 18% globally. This is 'informed optimism' - confidence backed by deep knowledge.

How do Indians view AI's impact on jobs?

69% of Indians view AI-driven job changes as positive, compared to 49% globally - a 20 percentage point lead. 82% believe AI will benefit workers (vs 67% global), and 63% believe AI will create new jobs (vs 50% global).

How does India compare to the USA on AI metrics?

India leads the USA on every AI metric: Usage 86% vs 54%, Knowledge 39% vs 10%, Pure Excitement 31% vs 6%, Job Optimism 69% vs 25%. India's job optimism beats the USA by 44 percentage points.

What is the Google/Ipsos AI survey methodology?

Ipsos conducted an online poll of approximately 21,000 adults aged 18+ across 21 countries on behalf of Google. Fieldwork ran September 22 - October 10, 2025. Countries included India, USA, UK, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. The report 'Our Life With AI' was published on January 15, 2026.

India AI Myth Busted

Google/Ipsos 2026 Survey Analysis

Analysis by

Shashwat Ghosh

HELIX CONSULTING

📊 Overview 🧠 Informed Optimism 😊 Sentiment 💼 Workplace 🤝 Trust 🌍 Countries 🎯 GTM Playbook

"The data is clear. India leads globally in AI adoption, not as an emerging market, but as a leading indicator. When 86% of a population uses AI and 39% deeply understand it, the conversation shifts from potential to performance."

— Shashwat Ghosh, Cofounder & AI GTM Strategist, Helix GTM Consulting

AI Usage (Q3)

86%IND

vs 66% Global+20pp

AI Knowledge (Q1)

39%IND

vs 14% Global+25pp

Pure Excitement

31%IND

vs 16% Global+15pp

Net Positive

69%IND

vs 53% Global+16pp

Job Optimism

69%IND

vs 49% Global+20pp

Data Trust

72%IND

vs 53% Global+19pp

🎯 India vs World: The Gap

AI Usage86% vs 66%

AI Knowledge39% vs 14%

Excitement31% vs 16%

Job Optimism69% vs 49%

Data Trust72% vs 53%

Net Positive69% vs 53%

India World

🏆 The Verdict: India 6/6

India leads on every single benchmark metric, establishing clear market leadership.

📋 Complete Scorecard

Metric	India	World	Gap
AI Usage (Q3)	86%	66%	+20pp
Deep Knowledge (Q1)	39%	14%	+25pp
Pure Excitement (Q10)	31%	16%	+15pp
Net Positive (Q10)	69%	53%	+16pp
Job Optimism (Q21)	69%	49%	+20pp
Data Willingness (Q35)	72%	53%	+19pp

Source: Google/Ipsos "Our Life With AI" 2025 Survey (~21,000 adults, 21 countries, Sep 22 - Oct 10, 2025)

🎤 Davos 2026: The IMF Got It Wrong

At the World Economic Forum panel on AI (January 2026), IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva classified India as a "second tier" AI economy. Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw pushed back directly:

"I don't think your classification in the second book is right. It's actually in the first. Nobody will accept that India is a second-class player in any way in terms of AI."

He cited Stanford's rankings: India ranks 3rd globally in AI penetration, 2nd in AI talent. He outlined India's five-layer AI strategy spanning applications, models, chips, infrastructure, and energy, plus 38,000 GPUs deployed as public compute at one-third global cost.

📰 Economic Times Coverage | 🎬 Watch Video (ANI/Reuters)

📐 Survey Methodology

• Conducted by: Ipsos on behalf of Google
• Sample size: ~21,000 adults aged 18+
• Method: Online interviews
• Countries: 21 including India, USA, UK, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Australia
• Fieldwork: September 22 - October 10, 2025
• Report: "Our Life With AI" published January 15, 2026

📊 View full analysis with data tables →

"Look at this table and tell me India is an 'emerging' AI market. 86% usage beats Singapore. 31% excitement beats South Korea. 69% job optimism beats the USA by 44 points. The West is concerned about AI. India is building with it."

— Shashwat Ghosh, Cofounder & AI GTM Strategist, Helix GTM Consulting

🌍 Country Comparison

Country	Usage	Excite	Jobs	Know
India	86	31	69	39
SG Singapore	72	11	53	18
KR S. Korea	72	19	60	22
AU Australia	63	13	42	12
JP Japan	46	10	58	8
US USA	54	6	25	10
GB UK	62	11	38	11
DE Germany	56	12	39	13

Shashwat Ghosh

Cofounder & AI GTM Strategist

HELIX CONSULTING

🔗 LinkedIn 𝕏 Twitter 📰 Offbeat AI Watch

📊 Data Sources

Google/Ipsos "Our Life With AI" 2025
21,043 adults | 21 countries
Sep 22 - Oct 10, 2025 | Published Jan 15, 2026

📊 Full Analysis (Notion) 📄 Original Report (Ipsos)

India AI Myth Busted

AI Usage (Q3)

AI Knowledge (Q1)

Pure Excitement

Net Positive

Job Optimism

Data Trust

🎯 India vs World: The Gap

🏆 The Verdict: India 6/6

📋 Complete Scorecard

🎤 Davos 2026: The IMF Got It Wrong

📐 Survey Methodology

Informed Optimism

📊 Head-to-Head Comparison

💡 The Strategic Takeaway

India Sentiment (Q10)

🌍 World Sentiment (Q10)

💡 Key Insight

💼 Workplace & Future Outlook

🤝 Trust & Data Sharing

💡 Key Insight

🌍 Country Comparison

India GTM Strategy

🌍 Western GTM Strategy

🎯 The Strategic Insight

Shashwat Ghosh