Generative Artificial Intelligence Has Surpassed Smartphones and the Internet in Speed of Adoption

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  • Research achievements
  • University Office for Research
  • Research
  • SDG 9
  • UL FDV

The number of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) users in Slovenia is rapidly increasing. In one year, the number has doubled. Most users utilize ChatGPT, and usage is becoming increasingly frequent. More than half of the population uses GenAI weekly, and nearly a quarter use it daily. Despite growing usage, Slovenia still lags behind the most developed countries.

This was shown by the research Artificial Intelligence in Slovenia, conducted in May by the Centre for Social Informatics at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. The study included 1,262 residents. The main findings of the research are:

  • Adoption of GenAI is in full swing, as 48% of adult internet users used GenAI in the last three months, nearly twice as many as in 2024 when it was 25%.
  • Some comparisons indicate that Slovenia is about one year behind the most developed countries (e.g., the USA). This is significant since intensive adoption of GenAI began only at the end of 2022.
  • GenAI is a technology that—compared to television, laptops, phones, the internet, mobile phones, and smartphones—has spread the fastest. In the USA, it reached half the population in about two years; in Slovenia, in three years.
  • The adoption pattern resembles that of the internet three decades ago—men, younger people, and the more educated tend to adopt faster. These groups also show more intensive use, better knowledge, and more positive attitudes toward GenAI.
  • In 2025, there is a faster increase in the number of users among groups that lagged behind in 2024 (e.g., among women, the share increased from 20% to 42%, among men from 30% to 53%). Thus, relatively speaking, the differences are decreasing. Trends suggest that in a few years, almost all internet users will use GenAI.
  • The intensity of use is also rapidly increasing. The share of daily GenAI users rose from 9% (2024) to 24% (2025), which for the total adult internet user population means an increase from 2% to 12%. Similarly, the share of weekly users increased from 20% to 53% (among internet users from 8% to 25%).
  • The share of GenAI users who use more than two GenAI tools also increased—from 24% to 38% (among internet users, this means from 6% to 18%).
  • Among GenAI tools, text-based tools (chatbots) dominate, regularly used by 42% of GenAI users; image-based tools are used by only 3%.
  • Text-based tools (GenAI chatbots) have already been used by 97% of weekly GenAI users (82% regularly), while image tools have been used by 43% (6% regularly).
  • ChatGPT is the primary tool for 83% of text tool users, followed by Copilot (6%), Grok and Gemini (each 3%), and DeepSeek and Claude (each 2%).
  • One-third (31%) of GenAI users utilize artificial intelligence in daily communication.
  • Regarding AI understanding, GenAI users are relatively confident—87% say they understand what AI is. However, they have more difficulty recognizing AI: only 45% recognize AI presence in applications and 40% in devices.
  • GenAI users can be divided into two groups. For the first (56%), high competence, intensive use, and understanding of AI are characteristic; for the second (44%), the opposite applies.