Statistics Canada counts generative AI apps such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini as the most widely used AI technology at work in Canada. One survey covering September 2024 to July 2025 found that about 22% of workers had used them in the past 12 months, rising from 17% to 30% over that period, and a second survey for March 2026 put the figure at 35.9%. The two numbers come from different surveys and are not a single trend line.
Key takeaways
- Canadian Survey on Working Conditions: 22% of workers used generative AI at work between September 2024 and July 2025, with the monthly figure climbing from 17% to 30%.
- LFS supplement for March 2026: 35.9% of workers used generative AI tools, and 93.4% had heard of them.
- Use varies sharply by industry, education, and occupation, from 5% in some trades to 65.6% in professional services.
- Among users in March 2026, 31.4% used the tools daily and 38.3% a few times a week.
- Both surveys record use in the past 12 months, so they say little about how deep or how useful that use is.
What the two surveys measured
Lists of "top AI apps" rarely say how many people use any app. Statistics Canada, the national statistical agency, publishes worker-level counts instead, and the apps it names as examples are ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini. The June 17, 2026 article Workplace artificial intelligence use: A profile of sociodemographic and job characteristics draws on the Canadian Survey on Working Conditions, with four collection waves from September 2024 to July 2025 covering employed people aged 15 to 69 in the provinces. A second release, Use of generative artificial intelligence tools among Canadian workers, March 2026, published July 30, 2026, comes from a supplement to Statistics Canada's monthly employment survey, known as the LFS.
| Measure | Working Conditions survey (September 2024 to July 2025) | LFS supplement (March 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Workers who used generative AI, past 12 months | 22% overall; 17% in the first wave, 30% in the last | 35.9% |
| Workers who had heard of the tools | Not reported in the article | 93.4% |
| Familiar with how the tools apply to their own work | Not reported in the article | 51.5% |
| Any AI or automation technology used | Several technologies reported separately | 41.6% |
The agency itself cautions that the two sets of results may not be directly comparable. Different questionnaires, populations, and reference periods mean the step from 22% to 35.9% should not be read as growth of 14 points in a few months.
Who used the tools in 2024 and 2025
In the Working Conditions survey, use was highest in professional, scientific and technical services (52%), educational services (42%), and finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (38%). It was lowest in accommodation and food services (5%), agriculture (6%), and retail trade (9%). Workers with a bachelor's degree or higher were far more likely to have used generative AI (37%) than those with a high school diploma or less (7%), and the gap persisted after adjusting for other factors.
By age, 27% of workers aged 25 to 54 had used generative AI, against 15% of those aged 55 to 69 and 10% of those aged 15 to 24. The younger group's lower rate was not statistically significant once job and education were accounted for, while the older group's was. Men and women each stood at 22% before adjustment, and men were more likely to be users after adjusting for industry, occupation, and education. British Columbia (25%) and Ontario (24%) had the highest regional shares.
How often and how much, as of March 2026
The March 2026 release adds frequency. Among workers who had used generative AI in the previous 12 months, 31.4% used it daily, 38.3% a few times a week, 21.7% a few times a month, and 8.7% a few times a year. Together, the first two groups make about 70% of users with at least weekly use, a sum calculated here from the published shares. On extent, 63.5% described their use as moderate, 24.9% as minimal, and 11.6% as broad, meaning most or almost all tasks.
Industry gaps widened in this release: professional, scientific and technical services reached 65.6%, finance and related industries 59.2%, and educational services 53.0%, while accommodation and food services stood at 16.3%. By sector, the public sector (41.2%) and self-employed workers (39.6%) reported higher use than the private sector (33.4%).
Other tools that work behind the scenes
Chat-style apps are only one kind of AI tool. The Working Conditions article also reported shares for natural language processing (10.7%), voice recognition software (6.1%), machine learning (4.9%), and machine vision (2.7%). In that survey, 23% of generative AI users said their work pace depended on automated software, a question that relates to how tasks are scheduled and not to chat apps directly.
Limits of these numbers
- Answers are self-reported and refer to the past 12 months, so a single use counts the same as daily use in the headline figure.
- Neither release names which apps respondents used, so the data cannot rank products.
- The surveys exclude people living on reserves and full-time armed forces members, and the Working Conditions article's charts leave out the territories.
- Statistics Canada describes its occupational exposure index as showing the potential for AI to change tasks, not as a prediction of job loss.
- The agency describes a further supplement planned for September 2026, which could update the March figures.
FAQ
Which AI app do most Canadian workers use?
The Statistics Canada releases do not rank individual apps. They report use of generative AI tools as a group, with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini given as examples.
What share of Canadian workers use generative AI?
The LFS supplement found 35.9% in March 2026 for use in the previous 12 months. The Working Conditions survey found 22% across September 2024 to July 2025.
Why do the two surveys give different numbers?
They use different questionnaires, reference periods, and sampling designs, and the agency says the results may not be directly comparable. Part of the difference may also reflect real growth between 2025 and 2026.
Does the data show that AI is replacing jobs?
No. The surveys count use of tools. They do not measure job losses, productivity, or whether employers approved the use.
Related reading
- AI in everyday routines
- The components an AI system needs
- AI apps for students
- AI tools for business use
More in AI Tools and Industry.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Workplace artificial intelligence use: A profile of sociodemographic and job characteristics, Insights on Canadian Society, Statistics Canada, June 17, 2026
- Use of generative artificial intelligence tools among Canadian workers, March 2026, The Daily, Statistics Canada, July 30, 2026 (modified August 17, 2026)