Nigeria is rapidly positioning itself as one of the world’s most enthusiastic adopters of artificial intelligence, with new findings from Google showing that Nigerians are not only embracing AI tools but actively shaping how the technology is used.
In its latest report titled “Our Life with AI: Helpfulness in the Hands of More People,” released on Tuesday, Google said Nigerians are deploying AI across education, work, and entrepreneurship at levels that far exceed global averages.
Okay News reports that the survey revealed 88 percent of Nigerian adults have used an AI chatbot, representing an 18-point jump from 2024 and significantly higher than the global average of 62 percent.
The findings suggest that AI adoption in Africa’s most populous country is accelerating at a pace rarely seen elsewhere.
Reacting to the report, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s communications and public affairs manager for West Africa, said the data reflects how Nigerians are creatively applying AI to everyday challenges.
“It’s inspiring to see how Nigerians are creatively and purposefully using AI to unlock new opportunities for learning, growth, and economic empowerment,” Kola-Ogunlade said.
“This report doesn’t just show high adoption rates; it tells the story of a nation that is actively shaping its future with technology, using AI as a tool to accelerate progress and achieve its ambitions. We’re committed to ensuring that AI remains a helpful and accessible tool for everyone.”
While learning has become the leading global use case for AI, the report noted that Nigerians are taking things further by integrating the technology into both personal advancement and professional productivity.
According to Google’s findings, 93 percent of Nigerians use AI to learn or understand complex topics, compared with 74 percent worldwide. In the workplace, 91 percent rely on AI to support their jobs, while 80 percent use it to explore new business opportunities or career changes—almost double the global figure of 42 percent.
Optimism around AI’s societal impact is also markedly higher in Nigeria. The report showed that 91 percent of respondents believe AI is improving how people learn and access information, compared with about 65 percent globally.
“95% believe university students and educators are likely to benefit from AI,” the report stated.
“Compared to the rest of the world, Nigerians are significantly more optimistic about the potential of AI.”
That optimism extends to public sentiment. Roughly 80 percent of Nigerians said they are more excited than concerned about AI’s possibilities, compared with a near-even global split of 53 percent excited and 46 percent concerned. Among heavy AI users in Nigeria, enthusiasm rises even further, with 90 percent expressing excitement about the technology’s future.
