Artificial intelligence is changing modern society most visibly at work: Statistics Canada found that 35.9% of Canadian workers used generative AI tools in their jobs over the 12 months before March 2026, and the International Monetary Fund estimates that almost 40% of jobs worldwide are exposed to AI. Documented gains exist in clinical paperwork and software development, while the risks are uneven, falling hardest on entry-level workers, schools without clear rules, and people in countries with less access to the technology. Evidence on adoption is solid; evidence on long-term outcomes is still thin.
Key takeaways
- About 19.2% of Canadian businesses used AI to produce goods or deliver services in spring 2026, triple the 6.1% recorded in 2024.
- The IMF puts AI exposure at almost 40% of global employment and about 60% in advanced economies, and expects inequality to worsen in most scenarios.
- Stanford's 2026 AI Index reports a drop of nearly 20% since 2024 in US software developer employment at ages 22 to 25, while older colleagues' headcount grows.
- Exposure to AI is not the same as job loss: 89.4% of Canadian businesses using AI in 2025 reported no change in employment.
- Use is outrunning rules: four in five US high school and college students use AI for schoolwork, yet only half of middle and high schools have AI policies.
Work and jobs: exposure, use, and early effects
The IMF's January 14, 2024 analysis estimated that almost 40% of global employment is exposed to AI, about 60% in advanced economies, 40% in emerging markets, and 26% in low-income countries. Exposure means a job contains tasks AI could perform or assist with. It does not predict that the job disappears.
Canadian data show how exposure turns into use. Statistics Canada's March 2026 worker survey found that 53.8% of workers in high-exposure, high-complementarity occupations, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, and engineers, used generative AI at work. The figure was 45.9% in high-exposure, low-complementarity occupations, which include retail sales, office support, and accounting, and 14.2% in low-exposure occupations such as skilled trades. Among workers in the first group, 57.0% of men and 50.9% of women reported use.
Early effects on hiring appear at the entry level. Stanford's 2026 AI Index reports that employment among US software developers aged 22 to 25 fell by nearly 20% since 2024 while the headcount of their older colleagues grew, and that the same pattern shows up in customer service.
Evidence and risk by area of society
The table sets one documented finding and one documented risk side by side for each area. Each figure carries its source and year, and the geography differs by row because the strongest data come from different countries.
| Area | Documented finding | Documented risk | Source, year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work | 35.9% of Canadian workers used generative AI at work in the prior 12 months | US developers aged 22 to 25 down nearly 20% since 2024 | Statistics Canada 2026; Stanford AI Index 2026 |
| Education | Four in five US high school and college students use AI for school tasks | Half of middle and high schools have AI policies; 6% of teachers call them clear | Stanford AI Index 2026 |
| Health | Physicians at several hospital systems reported up to 83% less time writing notes with AI note tools | Of more than 500 clinical AI studies reviewed, only 5% used real clinical data | Stanford AI Index 2026 |
| Trust and information | 59% of people surveyed globally feel optimistic about AI's benefits | Average transparency score of major models fell from 58 to 40; 31% of Americans trust government to regulate AI | Stanford AI Index 2026 |
| Inequality | Exposure is highest in advanced economies, about 60% of jobs | The IMF expects AI to worsen overall inequality in most scenarios | IMF 2024 |
| Environment | AI-related publications in the natural, physical, and life sciences grew 26% to 28% in a year | AI data center power capacity reached 29.6 GW, comparable to New York State's peak demand | Stanford AI Index 2026 |
How fast businesses are adopting AI in Canada and the United States
Statistics Canada's Canadian Survey on Business Conditions reported that 12.2% of businesses used AI to produce goods or deliver services in the second quarter of 2025 and 19.2% in the second quarter of 2026. Use was highest in information and cultural industries (42.3%), finance and insurance (40.4%), and professional, scientific and technical services (32.4%), and lowest in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (4.5%).
A Federal Reserve note from April 3, 2026 reported that Census Bureau data showed about 18% of US firms had adopted AI by the end of 2025. The Census Bureau widened its question in November 2025 from AI use in producing goods or services to use in any business function, so the numbers before and after that change are not directly comparable. The same note cited a review of 16 surveys in which estimates of work-related adoption in mid-2024 ranged from about 5% to 40%.
Reading the numbers with care
Three limits apply to nearly every AI statistic. Survey wording changes results, as the Census Bureau revision shows. Exposure measures differ from realized job change: in Statistics Canada's 2025 survey, 89.4% of AI-using businesses reported no change in employment, and its 2026 analysis describes the effect on employment as unclear. And much of the strongest data on health and education comes from the United States, so Canadian conclusions drawn from it need local confirmation.
Students writing on this topic can use a short checklist:
- Name the area (work, education, health, trust, inequality, or environment) before stating a figure.
- Give the year, the country, and the organization behind every statistic.
- Pair each benefit with the documented risk in the same area.
- Separate exposure, adoption, and measured outcomes, since they answer different questions.
FAQ
What is the biggest impact of AI on society so far?
The best-documented impact is on work and everyday tools. Generative AI reached 53% population adoption within three years according to Stanford's 2026 AI Index, faster than the personal computer or the internet, and more than a third of Canadian workers report using it on the job.
Will AI take away most jobs?
Current evidence does not show that. The IMF's exposure estimate of almost 40% of jobs describes tasks that AI could affect, and most Canadian businesses using AI reported no employment change in 2025. The clearest early signal is weaker hiring of young workers in AI-exposed occupations in the United States.
How many Canadian businesses use AI?
Statistics Canada reported 19.2% for the second quarter of 2026, up from 12.2% in 2025 and 6.1% in 2024. In the same 2026 survey, 40.0% of businesses said AI was not relevant to them.
Does AI increase inequality?
The IMF concluded in 2024 that AI will likely worsen overall inequality in most scenarios. Within Canada, 2026 worker data show gaps in generative AI use by gender and age: in high-exposure, high-complementarity occupations, 57.0% of men and 50.9% of women used it, and 45.3% of workers aged 55 and older used it versus 56.9% of those aged 25 to 54.
Related reading
- Arguments that AI threatens society
- Positive effects of AI on communities
- AI and robotics in daily life
- How AI systems are designed
More in AI Basics.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- AI Will Transform the Global Economy: Let's Make Sure It Benefits Humanity, International Monetary Fund (2024)
- Inside the AI Index: 12 Takeaways from the 2026 Report, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (2026)
- Use of generative artificial intelligence tools among Canadian workers, March 2026, Statistics Canada (2026)
- Analysis on artificial intelligence use by businesses in Canada, second quarter of 2026, Statistics Canada (2026)
- Analysis on artificial intelligence use by businesses in Canada, second quarter of 2025, Statistics Canada (2025)
- Monitoring AI Adoption in the US Economy, Federal Reserve Board, FEDS Notes (2026)