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Contrary to the claim that “nobody wants AI,” the data from recent years overwhelmingly shows strong public and business demand for artificial intelligence technologies. From record-breaking adoption of AI apps by consumers to broad deployment of AI in enterprises, people are actively embracing AI. Tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are fiercely investing in AI not on a whim, but because customers are clamoring for it. Below, we present a comprehensive look at the evidence (2023–2025) demonstrating that people do want AI, complete with sources and references.
Consumers worldwide are adopting AI at a record pace. One striking example is OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, which reached 100 million users in just two months after its late-2022 launch – making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history . For comparison, it took TikTok about 9 months and Instagram 2.5 years to hit that milestone . This explosive uptake of ChatGPT vividly illustrates the public’s hunger for useful AI tools. Indeed, a mid-2023 global survey found 79% of people had at least tried generative AI tools (for work or personal use) within a few months of these tools becoming available . Far from avoiding AI, the majority of consumers were eager to experiment with it as soon as they could.
Beyond chatbots, AI has quietly integrated into everyday life for hundreds of millions of people. Voice-based AI assistants are a prime example. By 2024, an estimated 8.4 billion voice assistant devices (smartphones, smart speakers, car assistants, etc.) were in use globally – an astonishing figure exceeding the human population (many individuals use multiple AI devices). In the United States alone, roughly 153 million people (about 45% of the population) use voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant . These numbers show that AI-powered assistants are now mainstream, helping people with everyday tasks from checking the weather to hands-free driving directions. Consumers wouldn’t be using these AI features in such numbers if they didn’t find them valuable.
Crucially, public comfort with and enthusiasm for AI has been rising year over year. Surveys in 2024 revealed that as people gain more exposure to AI, they become more positive about it. For instance, one consumer study noted a nearly 10% jump in comfort with AI from 2023 to 2024 . The same study reported a 17% surge in generative AI usage in that one year, with 62% of respondents using generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude) for personal projects or hobbies by 2024 . In other words, well over half of consumers surveyed had made AI part of their personal lives, a sharp increase in adoption. This growing usage is driven by practical benefits: people find AI helpful for tasks like summarizing information, writing content, getting recommendations, and brainstorming ideas . As a result, many consumers are not only using AI, they value it enough to pay for it. Over 52% of consumers polled said they are willing to pay a monthly subscription for enhanced AI services , and 57% said they are more likely to interact with brands that offer AI-powered services . These figures underscore that people want AI and even seek it out, rewarding companies that incorporate AI into products.
To put it simply, millions of everyday users have voted with their feet by flocking to AI services. Whether it’s talking to an AI assistant, using an AI chatbot for help, or enjoying AI-curated entertainment, consumers are demonstrating enthusiasm for AI-driven experiences – not indifference or rejection. AI is becoming as commonplace as smartphones or the internet in daily life, precisely because people find it useful.
In some markets the adoption is nearly universal. A late-2024 Bain & Company survey found 95% of U.S. companies are now using generative AI – an almost unheard-of level of penetration for a new technology . That figure was up 12 percentage points from the previous year, reflecting how virtually every competitive firm has started deploying AI tools. Businesses large and small want the productivity and innovation gains AI can deliver, and they are moving quickly to implement these technologies or risk falling behind. Indeed, many companies have doubled the number of AI use-cases they have in production within a single year . Far from “nobody” wanting AI, it’s become hard to find a company not exploring or using AI in 2025.
Top executives are actively driving this AI push. AI has shot to the top of corporate priority lists, as indicated by the surge in CEO and boardroom attention. By Q3 2024, AI was the #2 topic of discussion among CEOs, second only to inflation, in earnings calls and meetings . This represents a dramatic rise in just a few years – AI was outside the top 10 priorities prior to 2021 . Now, however, company leaders see AI as strategically vital, and they are investing accordingly. Global private investment in AI reached a record $110 billion in 2024 , enabling new AI projects across industries. Businesses are “all in on AI,” as the Stanford Institute’s 2025 AI Index report puts it , because they have witnessed the tangible productivity boosts and competitive advantages it offers.
Concrete adoption metrics confirm that enterprises are not just paying lip service – they are implementing AI at scale. Microsoft, for example, reported in mid-2024 that 60% of Fortune 500 companies had already adopted AI Copilot assistants for their employees, and 65% were using Azure OpenAI AI services in the cloud . In other words, a large majority of America’s 500 biggest firms – spanning every industry – have rolled out advanced AI solutions from Microsoft alone, not to mention other vendors . By late 2024, Microsoft noted that 70% of Fortune 500 companies were using its Microsoft 365 Copilot (an AI productivity assistant) for at least some employees . These figures indicate enormous demand at the top tier of the business world for AI to augment workflows, automate tasks, and support decision-making.
The surging revenue numbers tied to enterprise AI use further demonstrate how much businesses want these capabilities. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella stated in October 2024 that Microsoft’s AI business (across Azure cloud and enterprise software) was on track for a $10 billion annual revenue run rate, making it the fastest-growing $10B product category in the company’s history . For a brand-new set of AI offerings to hit that revenue scale so rapidly implies massive customer uptake. In Microsoft’s cloud division, AI features have been a key growth driver: Azure’s AI services and the GitHub Copilot coding assistant led to over 200% year-over-year growth in AI-related revenue in recent quarters . More than 65% of enterprise Azure cloud customers now actively use Microsoft’s built-in AI features as part of their cloud workloads . This is a remarkable penetration rate that again affirms most organizations want those AI capabilities (since they have opted to turn them on and use them).
The story is similar across the industry. Google reported that its Google Cloud revenue jumped 34–35% year-over-year in 2024, attributing this accelerated growth largely to demand for AI infrastructure and generative AI services . In other words, many new customers are choosing Google Cloud specifically for its AI offerings, or existing customers are greatly expanding their usage to run AI workloads. Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai noted that integrating advanced AI (like generative models) into Google’s products has increased user engagement and driven new cloud deals . Industry analysts observed that AI has become a primary driver of cloud computing demand – one analysis found 22% of all new cloud projects in 2024 had an AI component, reflecting how companies are rushing to deploy AI-enabled applications . Essentially, enterprises are now choosing cloud providers based on AI capabilities, and those capabilities are fueling corporate cloud spending.
Even Amazon’s AWS, the largest cloud platform, has noted vast adoption of its AI services. Amazon recently revealed that over 100,000 customers across industries are using AWS AI/ML services to reinvent their products and operations . These customers include major names like adidas, Pfizer, and Toyota, indicating broad demand across sectors . AWS is already a “multibillion-dollar” business just from AI services alone , and Amazon is investing heavily to court even more AI workloads (as discussed below). Notably, the huge surge in AI workloads has, at times, outpaced the supply of computing resources: Microsoft officials acknowledged in 2023 that “explosive AI demand” led to data center capacity constraints, even causing Azure to miss some cloud growth targets because demand was outstripping supply . In short, enterprise customers wanted so much AI compute that Microsoft’s cloud had trouble keeping up – a good problem that underscores the insatiable appetite for AI from business clients.
All these trends paint a clear picture: companies very much want AI, and are rapidly rolling it out to their workforce and into their products. They see AI as critical for automation, efficiency, and gaining a competitive edge. This is why surveys show overwhelming interest – for example, over 80% of business leaders report that their AI deployments meet or exceed expectations and are delivering positive ROI , which encourages further investment. It’s also why AI-related hiring is booming and AI skills are in high demand in the job market. The claim that “nobody wants AI” could not be further from the truth in the enterprise sphere: on the contrary, almost everybody in business seems to be implementing AI in some form, from small startups to the largest global corporations.
AWS’s strategy emphasizes choice and openness, reflecting the fact that different customers want different AI models and tools. Amazon launched its Bedrock service as a “model-neutral” hub, allowing AWS customers to pick from various AI models – including Amazon’s own Titan models and third-party models like Anthropic’s Claude, Meta’s Llama 2, and Stable Diffusion – all conveniently hosted on AWS . This model-agnostic approach (essentially an AI app store in the cloud) exists precisely because so many clients are eager to deploy AI and they each have preferences on which model suits their needs. By offering a smorgasbord of AI options, Amazon is saying: however you want to use AI, we’ll support it. They’ve even invested $4 billion in Anthropic to ensure AWS customers have access to top-tier AI models . AWS also provides a broad range of AI/ML tools (from the no-code SageMaker studio to specialized Trainium and Inferentia AI chips) to attract every kind of developer and enterprise. The result? AWS has over 100,000 customers actively using its AI and machine learning services today – a clear testament that companies want what Amazon is building in AI. These customers are leveraging AWS AI for everything from smarter customer service (e.g. AI chatbots) to advanced data analytics and AI-driven product recommendations on their platforms. Amazon’s CEO has repeatedly noted that virtually every AWS client is now exploring some form of AI adoption.
On the cloud side, Azure’s AI usage is soaring. Microsoft reported that over 65% of enterprise Azure customers are now using built-in Azure AI services (such as Azure OpenAI model APIs, cognitive services, machine learning tools) as of 2025 . This means the majority of companies on Azure have opted to infuse AI into their cloud applications. Azure’s generative AI offerings (like the Azure OpenAI Service that provides access to GPT-4, DALL·E 2, etc.) have been a huge differentiator – so much so that they propelled Azure’s growth above AWS’s for several consecutive quarters . Microsoft’s intelligent cloud segment (which includes Azure AI) has been growing ~2× faster than AWS in percentage terms, in part due to “rapid Copilot adoption” and AI services demand . The company has frankly struggled at times to keep enough GPU servers in stock to meet the “explosive AI demand” from customers . That is a clear indicator that Microsoft’s clients are aggressively implementing AI – if the demand were lukewarm, Azure would not be literally running into resource constraints trying to serve everyone who wants to use its AI features.
From a business perspective, Microsoft’s AI push has translated into major revenue gains, validating that people and firms want these products. The CEO noted that AI-driven services were about to hit $10 billion in annual revenue, the fastest in Microsoft’s history to reach that scale . In many ways, Microsoft has made AI a core part of its value proposition (“A Copilot for every user” is their vision ), and customers have embraced it. Approximately 70% of Fortune 500 companies had begun using Microsoft’s AI Copilot for Office by late 2024 , a stunning penetration in under a year of availability. That signals real market pull – these companies asked for AI features in the Microsoft tools they rely on, which is why Microsoft is bundling AI into products like Windows and Office going forward. In short, Microsoft’s strategy to put AI everywhere is a response to clear demand, and it’s resonating strongly with both individual end-users and enterprise IT buyers.
... Google reported a 14× increase in Gemini AI API calls in just six months after launch, indicating developers were rapidly integrating Google’s AI into their apps. Google’s strategy of offering an “open” AI ecosystem – supporting open-source models (like Meta’s Llama2), and allowing AI systems from various sources to run on Google Cloud – has attracted many customers who want flexibility. For example, Google won major contracts such as a $1.2 billion deal with ServiceNow to provide AI infrastructure, in part because of its AI technical prowess.
In consumer products too, Google is witnessing that users appreciate AI enhancements. Google has rolled out AI features in Search (the “Search Generative Experience”), in Gmail (smart compose replies), Google Photos (AI editing), and launched the Bard chatbot to the public. Users have engaged with these features by the hundreds of millions. For instance, over 180 million people tried Google’s AI-driven Magic Eraser and photo editing tools in a single year, and Bard (Google’s AI chat) garnered millions of users within months of launch in 2023. Google’s internal metrics showed such positive user reception that the company is doubling down on “AI-first” improvements across all its services. Advertisers even benefited from AI (Google noted higher ad efficiency from AI-driven tools). Importantly, Google’s revenue and profit jump in 2024 was partially credited to AI integration – e.g., using generative AI in YouTube and search increased engagement and ad clicks. This is a strong market signal: users engage more when AI makes products better, which of course means businesses want to implement even more AI. Google’s leadership in AI research (DeepMind, etc.) also reassures customers that they’re getting top-notch technology. The bottom line is that Google’s customers (and users) are demanding AI-powered solutions, and Google’s fastest-growing offerings are those infused with AI. That is exactly why Google is investing heavily in custom AI hardware (like TPUs) and models – to keep up with what people want. As one analysis noted, Google now has an “AI credibility” that is helping it win market share, and could even threaten Microsoft’s position if current trends hold.
And indeed, AI is already delivering real benefits in everyday life for those who use it. In healthcare, for example, AI-assisted diagnostic tools are improving outcomes: the FDA approved 223 AI-enabled medical devices in 2023 alone (versus just 6 in 2015), meaning doctors now routinely have AI helping analyze scans, monitor vital signs, and even suggest treatments. Patients generally welcome anything that helps catch diseases earlier or manage care better – these AI medical tools wouldn’t be approved and deployed if doctors and patients weren’t on board. In transportation, self-driving car services are gaining riders: Waymo, one of the leading autonomous taxi operators in the U.S., is now providing over 150,000 driverless rides each week in cities like Phoenix and San Francisco. Those are real people getting into AI-driven cars daily – a powerful sign that when AI offers convenience and safety, people want it. (Waymo’s service has high customer satisfaction among riders, many of whom are excited about the experience of an AI chauffeur.) Similarly in retail, millions use AI-powered product recommendation systems and visual search tools to find items they love – a 2023 survey found 28% of consumers had used an AI visual search to shop for products they wanted. In finance, AI chatbot assistants are helping bank customers 24/7, with high usage rates for routine inquiries. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, AI models played a role in vaccine development and distribution, which certainly people were very eager for – another indirect indicator that society values AI when it addresses crucial needs.
Another illustrative example: AI copilots in professional settings have been welcomed as productivity boosters. At Chi Mei Medical Center in Taiwan, staff deployed AI copilots (built on Azure OpenAI) to help with hospital admin tasks – doctors went from spending an hour on certain reports to just 15 minutes with the AI’s help, and pharmacists doubled the number of patients they can serve per day (from 15 to 30) by using an AI summarizer. These AI helpers have reduced burnout and freed up time for patient care, outcomes the human workers deeply appreciate. In other sectors like customer support, AI chatbots handle simple queries, and most customers are satisfied as long as their issue is resolved quickly – which modern AI can often do. This shows that when AI is applied thoughtfully, people value the convenience and efficiency it provides. It’s not being forced on unwilling users; it’s being adopted by users because it makes life a bit easier.
Certainly, responsible deployment matters – people want AI that is helpful, trustworthy, and respects privacy. But the key point is that the public’s actions demonstrate desire for AI services: whether it’s opting in to use an AI feature on their phone, choosing an AI-powered product over a non-AI one, or advocating for AI solutions to problems (like using AI to fight climate change or improve education), we see active interest, not rejection.
Unprecedented Consumer Adoption of AI Tools
Consumers worldwide are adopting AI at a record pace. One striking example is OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, which reached 100 million users in just two months after its late-2022 launch – making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history . For comparison, it took TikTok about 9 months and Instagram 2.5 years to hit that milestone . This explosive uptake of ChatGPT vividly illustrates the public’s hunger for useful AI tools. Indeed, a mid-2023 global survey found 79% of people had at least tried generative AI tools (for work or personal use) within a few months of these tools becoming available . Far from avoiding AI, the majority of consumers were eager to experiment with it as soon as they could.Beyond chatbots, AI has quietly integrated into everyday life for hundreds of millions of people. Voice-based AI assistants are a prime example. By 2024, an estimated 8.4 billion voice assistant devices (smartphones, smart speakers, car assistants, etc.) were in use globally – an astonishing figure exceeding the human population (many individuals use multiple AI devices). In the United States alone, roughly 153 million people (about 45% of the population) use voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant . These numbers show that AI-powered assistants are now mainstream, helping people with everyday tasks from checking the weather to hands-free driving directions. Consumers wouldn’t be using these AI features in such numbers if they didn’t find them valuable.
Crucially, public comfort with and enthusiasm for AI has been rising year over year. Surveys in 2024 revealed that as people gain more exposure to AI, they become more positive about it. For instance, one consumer study noted a nearly 10% jump in comfort with AI from 2023 to 2024 . The same study reported a 17% surge in generative AI usage in that one year, with 62% of respondents using generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude) for personal projects or hobbies by 2024 . In other words, well over half of consumers surveyed had made AI part of their personal lives, a sharp increase in adoption. This growing usage is driven by practical benefits: people find AI helpful for tasks like summarizing information, writing content, getting recommendations, and brainstorming ideas . As a result, many consumers are not only using AI, they value it enough to pay for it. Over 52% of consumers polled said they are willing to pay a monthly subscription for enhanced AI services , and 57% said they are more likely to interact with brands that offer AI-powered services . These figures underscore that people want AI and even seek it out, rewarding companies that incorporate AI into products.
To put it simply, millions of everyday users have voted with their feet by flocking to AI services. Whether it’s talking to an AI assistant, using an AI chatbot for help, or enjoying AI-curated entertainment, consumers are demonstrating enthusiasm for AI-driven experiences – not indifference or rejection. AI is becoming as commonplace as smartphones or the internet in daily life, precisely because people find it useful.
Businesses and Enterprises Embrace AI at Scale
It’s not just individual consumers – businesses around the world are demanding and adopting AI at an unprecedented scale. In fact, the corporate sector’s embrace of AI directly contradicts the idea that “nobody wants” it. By 2024, 78% of organizations worldwide reported using AI in some capacity, up from 55% just one year before . Such a rapid jump in adoption means a clear majority of companies globally have integrated AI into their operations, and that proportion is growing fast.In some markets the adoption is nearly universal. A late-2024 Bain & Company survey found 95% of U.S. companies are now using generative AI – an almost unheard-of level of penetration for a new technology . That figure was up 12 percentage points from the previous year, reflecting how virtually every competitive firm has started deploying AI tools. Businesses large and small want the productivity and innovation gains AI can deliver, and they are moving quickly to implement these technologies or risk falling behind. Indeed, many companies have doubled the number of AI use-cases they have in production within a single year . Far from “nobody” wanting AI, it’s become hard to find a company not exploring or using AI in 2025.
Top executives are actively driving this AI push. AI has shot to the top of corporate priority lists, as indicated by the surge in CEO and boardroom attention. By Q3 2024, AI was the #2 topic of discussion among CEOs, second only to inflation, in earnings calls and meetings . This represents a dramatic rise in just a few years – AI was outside the top 10 priorities prior to 2021 . Now, however, company leaders see AI as strategically vital, and they are investing accordingly. Global private investment in AI reached a record $110 billion in 2024 , enabling new AI projects across industries. Businesses are “all in on AI,” as the Stanford Institute’s 2025 AI Index report puts it , because they have witnessed the tangible productivity boosts and competitive advantages it offers.
Concrete adoption metrics confirm that enterprises are not just paying lip service – they are implementing AI at scale. Microsoft, for example, reported in mid-2024 that 60% of Fortune 500 companies had already adopted AI Copilot assistants for their employees, and 65% were using Azure OpenAI AI services in the cloud . In other words, a large majority of America’s 500 biggest firms – spanning every industry – have rolled out advanced AI solutions from Microsoft alone, not to mention other vendors . By late 2024, Microsoft noted that 70% of Fortune 500 companies were using its Microsoft 365 Copilot (an AI productivity assistant) for at least some employees . These figures indicate enormous demand at the top tier of the business world for AI to augment workflows, automate tasks, and support decision-making.
The surging revenue numbers tied to enterprise AI use further demonstrate how much businesses want these capabilities. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella stated in October 2024 that Microsoft’s AI business (across Azure cloud and enterprise software) was on track for a $10 billion annual revenue run rate, making it the fastest-growing $10B product category in the company’s history . For a brand-new set of AI offerings to hit that revenue scale so rapidly implies massive customer uptake. In Microsoft’s cloud division, AI features have been a key growth driver: Azure’s AI services and the GitHub Copilot coding assistant led to over 200% year-over-year growth in AI-related revenue in recent quarters . More than 65% of enterprise Azure cloud customers now actively use Microsoft’s built-in AI features as part of their cloud workloads . This is a remarkable penetration rate that again affirms most organizations want those AI capabilities (since they have opted to turn them on and use them).
The story is similar across the industry. Google reported that its Google Cloud revenue jumped 34–35% year-over-year in 2024, attributing this accelerated growth largely to demand for AI infrastructure and generative AI services . In other words, many new customers are choosing Google Cloud specifically for its AI offerings, or existing customers are greatly expanding their usage to run AI workloads. Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai noted that integrating advanced AI (like generative models) into Google’s products has increased user engagement and driven new cloud deals . Industry analysts observed that AI has become a primary driver of cloud computing demand – one analysis found 22% of all new cloud projects in 2024 had an AI component, reflecting how companies are rushing to deploy AI-enabled applications . Essentially, enterprises are now choosing cloud providers based on AI capabilities, and those capabilities are fueling corporate cloud spending.
Even Amazon’s AWS, the largest cloud platform, has noted vast adoption of its AI services. Amazon recently revealed that over 100,000 customers across industries are using AWS AI/ML services to reinvent their products and operations . These customers include major names like adidas, Pfizer, and Toyota, indicating broad demand across sectors . AWS is already a “multibillion-dollar” business just from AI services alone , and Amazon is investing heavily to court even more AI workloads (as discussed below). Notably, the huge surge in AI workloads has, at times, outpaced the supply of computing resources: Microsoft officials acknowledged in 2023 that “explosive AI demand” led to data center capacity constraints, even causing Azure to miss some cloud growth targets because demand was outstripping supply . In short, enterprise customers wanted so much AI compute that Microsoft’s cloud had trouble keeping up – a good problem that underscores the insatiable appetite for AI from business clients.
All these trends paint a clear picture: companies very much want AI, and are rapidly rolling it out to their workforce and into their products. They see AI as critical for automation, efficiency, and gaining a competitive edge. This is why surveys show overwhelming interest – for example, over 80% of business leaders report that their AI deployments meet or exceed expectations and are delivering positive ROI , which encourages further investment. It’s also why AI-related hiring is booming and AI skills are in high demand in the job market. The claim that “nobody wants AI” could not be further from the truth in the enterprise sphere: on the contrary, almost everybody in business seems to be implementing AI in some form, from small startups to the largest global corporations.
Tech Giants Invest Heavily to Meet AI Demand
The fierce competition between Amazon, Microsoft, and Google in cloud AI – sometimes dubbed the “AI cloud showdown” – is itself evidence that there is enormous demand to be met. These three tech giants are pouring unprecedented resources into AI R&D and infrastructure because their customers (both businesses and consumers) are asking for more AI-powered solutions. Each company has a distinct strategy, but all share a common goal: to satisfy the world’s voracious appetite for AI and not get left behind. Here’s how each of the “Big Three” is addressing the demand:Amazon (AWS): Massive Investment and Open AI Ecosystem
Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud market leader, has recognized that its customers want access to powerful AI with flexibility. AWS has responded with eye-popping investments and an open approach. In 2025 alone, Amazon earmarked $100 billion in capital spending for AI infrastructure expansion – an almost unprecedented single-year investment. This money is going into massive scale-ups of servers, GPUs, and custom AI chips to ensure AWS can handle the next wave of AI applications. Such heavy spending makes sense only because AWS sees extraordinary customer demand for AI capacity on its platform.AWS’s strategy emphasizes choice and openness, reflecting the fact that different customers want different AI models and tools. Amazon launched its Bedrock service as a “model-neutral” hub, allowing AWS customers to pick from various AI models – including Amazon’s own Titan models and third-party models like Anthropic’s Claude, Meta’s Llama 2, and Stable Diffusion – all conveniently hosted on AWS . This model-agnostic approach (essentially an AI app store in the cloud) exists precisely because so many clients are eager to deploy AI and they each have preferences on which model suits their needs. By offering a smorgasbord of AI options, Amazon is saying: however you want to use AI, we’ll support it. They’ve even invested $4 billion in Anthropic to ensure AWS customers have access to top-tier AI models . AWS also provides a broad range of AI/ML tools (from the no-code SageMaker studio to specialized Trainium and Inferentia AI chips) to attract every kind of developer and enterprise. The result? AWS has over 100,000 customers actively using its AI and machine learning services today – a clear testament that companies want what Amazon is building in AI. These customers are leveraging AWS AI for everything from smarter customer service (e.g. AI chatbots) to advanced data analytics and AI-driven product recommendations on their platforms. Amazon’s CEO has repeatedly noted that virtually every AWS client is now exploring some form of AI adoption.
Microsoft (Azure): AI Everywhere – Copilots and Cloud AI Services
Microsoft has bet its future on integrating AI deeply into both its cloud platform (Azure) and its popular software products (like Office, Windows, and GitHub). This bet is paying off, because customers are flocking to Microsoft’s AI offerings in record numbers. Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI (maker of ChatGPT) made Azure the default cloud for one of the most powerful AI models, attracting many AI startups and enterprises to Azure to access OpenAI’s technology. On top of that, Microsoft has rolled out a suite of “Copilot” AI assistants – essentially AI copilots for coding (GitHub Copilot), for writing and spreadsheets (Microsoft 365 Copilot), for customer service (Dynamics 365 Copilot), and more – which embed AI into all the tools millions of people use for work every day. The reception has been extremely enthusiastic. Within months of launch, Microsoft 365 Copilot was being trialed or used by hundreds of large organizations, and GitHub Copilot gained millions of developer users. By mid-2024, Microsoft disclosed that its AI Copilots had been deployed at 3,000,000+ organizations, reaching 15 million users . This rapid adoption shows that workers and companies want AI assistance – whether to generate code, summarize emails, or automate routine tasks – and they’re willing to pay for it as a subscription add-on.On the cloud side, Azure’s AI usage is soaring. Microsoft reported that over 65% of enterprise Azure customers are now using built-in Azure AI services (such as Azure OpenAI model APIs, cognitive services, machine learning tools) as of 2025 . This means the majority of companies on Azure have opted to infuse AI into their cloud applications. Azure’s generative AI offerings (like the Azure OpenAI Service that provides access to GPT-4, DALL·E 2, etc.) have been a huge differentiator – so much so that they propelled Azure’s growth above AWS’s for several consecutive quarters . Microsoft’s intelligent cloud segment (which includes Azure AI) has been growing ~2× faster than AWS in percentage terms, in part due to “rapid Copilot adoption” and AI services demand . The company has frankly struggled at times to keep enough GPU servers in stock to meet the “explosive AI demand” from customers . That is a clear indicator that Microsoft’s clients are aggressively implementing AI – if the demand were lukewarm, Azure would not be literally running into resource constraints trying to serve everyone who wants to use its AI features.
From a business perspective, Microsoft’s AI push has translated into major revenue gains, validating that people and firms want these products. The CEO noted that AI-driven services were about to hit $10 billion in annual revenue, the fastest in Microsoft’s history to reach that scale . In many ways, Microsoft has made AI a core part of its value proposition (“A Copilot for every user” is their vision ), and customers have embraced it. Approximately 70% of Fortune 500 companies had begun using Microsoft’s AI Copilot for Office by late 2024 , a stunning penetration in under a year of availability. That signals real market pull – these companies asked for AI features in the Microsoft tools they rely on, which is why Microsoft is bundling AI into products like Windows and Office going forward. In short, Microsoft’s strategy to put AI everywhere is a response to clear demand, and it’s resonating strongly with both individual end-users and enterprise IT buyers.
Google: AI-Powered Growth and Open Platforms
Google has positioned itself as an AI-centric cloud and product company, and the strategy is resonating especially with developers, startups, and forward-looking enterprises. Google Cloud’s rapid growth – over 30% revenue growth in 2024, the fastest among the big three clouds – has been explicitly driven by its strength in AI . Google’s cloud CEO Thomas Kurian noted that many customers choose Google Cloud for its AI capabilities, such as its advanced TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) chips and the Vertex AI platform that makes building ML models easier. In 2023 Google introduced its next-gen AI models (the Gemini model suite for text, images, etc.), and usage exploded.... Google reported a 14× increase in Gemini AI API calls in just six months after launch, indicating developers were rapidly integrating Google’s AI into their apps. Google’s strategy of offering an “open” AI ecosystem – supporting open-source models (like Meta’s Llama2), and allowing AI systems from various sources to run on Google Cloud – has attracted many customers who want flexibility. For example, Google won major contracts such as a $1.2 billion deal with ServiceNow to provide AI infrastructure, in part because of its AI technical prowess.
In consumer products too, Google is witnessing that users appreciate AI enhancements. Google has rolled out AI features in Search (the “Search Generative Experience”), in Gmail (smart compose replies), Google Photos (AI editing), and launched the Bard chatbot to the public. Users have engaged with these features by the hundreds of millions. For instance, over 180 million people tried Google’s AI-driven Magic Eraser and photo editing tools in a single year, and Bard (Google’s AI chat) garnered millions of users within months of launch in 2023. Google’s internal metrics showed such positive user reception that the company is doubling down on “AI-first” improvements across all its services. Advertisers even benefited from AI (Google noted higher ad efficiency from AI-driven tools). Importantly, Google’s revenue and profit jump in 2024 was partially credited to AI integration – e.g., using generative AI in YouTube and search increased engagement and ad clicks. This is a strong market signal: users engage more when AI makes products better, which of course means businesses want to implement even more AI. Google’s leadership in AI research (DeepMind, etc.) also reassures customers that they’re getting top-notch technology. The bottom line is that Google’s customers (and users) are demanding AI-powered solutions, and Google’s fastest-growing offerings are those infused with AI. That is exactly why Google is investing heavily in custom AI hardware (like TPUs) and models – to keep up with what people want. As one analysis noted, Google now has an “AI credibility” that is helping it win market share, and could even threaten Microsoft’s position if current trends hold.
Why This Arms Race? Because Customers Want AI
It’s worth noting that all three tech giants are spending tens of billions of dollars on AI development and infrastructure, and Wall Street is encouraging it because customers are eagerly adopting the results. Estimates suggest that in 2025, Big Tech will spend around $330 billion on AI-related investments (data centers, chips, research, etc.) collectively. They wouldn’t burn such enormous capital if AI was a flop with users. On the contrary, AI is seen as the next fundamental platform – akin to the rise of mobile or the internet – that everyone will use. All the evidence from 2023–2025 indicates that this view is correct: individuals and enterprises are rapidly integrating AI into how they live and work.Public Attitudes and Everyday Benefits of AI
Despite some popular anxieties about AI (which certainly exist alongside enthusiasm), many people around the world view AI positively and are already benefiting from it daily. Surveys show that in a number of countries, large majorities of the public say AI’s impact so far is more good than bad. For example, in China 83% of people believe AI products and services are more beneficial than harmful to society. In other Asian countries like Indonesia and Thailand, around 77–80% also hold this positive view of AI’s net benefits. These figures reflect populations that have seen real upsides from AI – whether in smartphone features, e-commerce recommendations, or public services – and thus want more AI-driven improvement in their lives. Even in Western countries where skepticism has been higher, optimism about AI has grown in recent years as people become more familiar with it. For instance, the share of Americans who view AI as more positive than negative rose from 35% in 2022 to 39% in 2023 (despite heavy media focus on risks). In Germany and France, optimism about AI jumped 10 percentage points in the same period. This trend suggests that as people see AI’s practical uses, their trust grows. It contradicts the notion that “nobody wants AI” – rather, many were cautious initially, but are warming up to it as the technology proves its value.And indeed, AI is already delivering real benefits in everyday life for those who use it. In healthcare, for example, AI-assisted diagnostic tools are improving outcomes: the FDA approved 223 AI-enabled medical devices in 2023 alone (versus just 6 in 2015), meaning doctors now routinely have AI helping analyze scans, monitor vital signs, and even suggest treatments. Patients generally welcome anything that helps catch diseases earlier or manage care better – these AI medical tools wouldn’t be approved and deployed if doctors and patients weren’t on board. In transportation, self-driving car services are gaining riders: Waymo, one of the leading autonomous taxi operators in the U.S., is now providing over 150,000 driverless rides each week in cities like Phoenix and San Francisco. Those are real people getting into AI-driven cars daily – a powerful sign that when AI offers convenience and safety, people want it. (Waymo’s service has high customer satisfaction among riders, many of whom are excited about the experience of an AI chauffeur.) Similarly in retail, millions use AI-powered product recommendation systems and visual search tools to find items they love – a 2023 survey found 28% of consumers had used an AI visual search to shop for products they wanted. In finance, AI chatbot assistants are helping bank customers 24/7, with high usage rates for routine inquiries. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, AI models played a role in vaccine development and distribution, which certainly people were very eager for – another indirect indicator that society values AI when it addresses crucial needs.
Another illustrative example: AI copilots in professional settings have been welcomed as productivity boosters. At Chi Mei Medical Center in Taiwan, staff deployed AI copilots (built on Azure OpenAI) to help with hospital admin tasks – doctors went from spending an hour on certain reports to just 15 minutes with the AI’s help, and pharmacists doubled the number of patients they can serve per day (from 15 to 30) by using an AI summarizer. These AI helpers have reduced burnout and freed up time for patient care, outcomes the human workers deeply appreciate. In other sectors like customer support, AI chatbots handle simple queries, and most customers are satisfied as long as their issue is resolved quickly – which modern AI can often do. This shows that when AI is applied thoughtfully, people value the convenience and efficiency it provides. It’s not being forced on unwilling users; it’s being adopted by users because it makes life a bit easier.
Certainly, responsible deployment matters – people want AI that is helpful, trustworthy, and respects privacy. But the key point is that the public’s actions demonstrate desire for AI services: whether it’s opting in to use an AI feature on their phone, choosing an AI-powered product over a non-AI one, or advocating for AI solutions to problems (like using AI to fight climate change or improve education), we see active interest, not rejection.
Conclusion
The evidence from 2023–2025 decisively shows that people do want AI. Consumers have adopted AI technologies faster than almost any prior innovation, integrating them into daily life by the hundreds of millions. Businesses across every industry are investing heavily to embed AI in their products and processes, driven by clear returns and customer demand. Tech giants are in an “AI arms race” precisely because their customers are asking for ever more AI capabilities. While it’s true that society must navigate AI’s challenges carefully (and not everyone is uncritically optimistic), the overall trend is unmistakable: people are embracing AI when it provides value. Usage numbers, growth rates, and surveys all confirm a strong appetite for the benefits AI can deliver – from convenience and personalization to efficiency and new possibilities. In short, the statement “nobody wants AI” is flatly contradicted by reality. The opposite is true: on multiple fronts, AI is being rapidly adopted because people actively do want it, and they foresee even greater benefits as the technology advances. Rather than resisting AI, the world is largely racing to harness it.References
- Reuters — ChatGPT fastest-growing user base (UBS study)
https://www.reuters.com/technology/chatgpt-sets-record-fastest-growing-user-base-analyst-note-2023-02-01/ - McKinsey & Company — The state of AI in 2023: Generative AI’s breakout year
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-2023-generative-ais-breakout-year - Yaguara — Voice Search Statistics 2025
62 Voice Search Statistics 2025 (Number of Users & Trends) - CapTech Consulting — Consumer Perspectives on AI: A Surge in Acceptance (Sep 2024)
Consumer Perspectives on AI: A Surge in Acceptance | CapTech - Stanford HAI — 2025 AI Index Report
https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2025-ai-index-report - Bain & Company — Generative AI’s Uptake Is Unprecedented (May 2025)
Survey: Generative AI’s Uptake Is Unprecedented Despite Roadblocks - IoT Analytics — Who is winning the cloud AI race?
Who is winning the cloud AI race? Microsoft vs. AWS vs. Google - Microsoft (Judson Althoff) — Looking back on FY24: from Copilots… to leading AI Transformation (Jul 29, 2024)
Looking back on FY24: from Copilots empowering human achievement to leading AI Transformation - The Official Microsoft Blog - Axios (Ina Fried) — Microsoft AI earnings & Copilot penetration (Oct 30, 2024)
Microsoft reports earnings with a big boost from AI - WindowsForum — 2025 Cloud AI Battle: Amazon, Microsoft, and Google… (Aug 2025)
2025 Cloud AI Battle: Amazon, Microsoft, and Google Lead the Next Generation of AI Infrastructure - Futurum Group — Alphabet Q3 2024: AI Drives Growth
Alphabet’s Q3 2024 Earnings: AI Drives Revenue Growth and Expands Market Reach - About Amazon (AWS) — How AWS engineers infrastructure for generative AI
4 ways AWS is engineering infrastructure to power generative AI - WindowsForum — Amazon Cloud Slips Amid AI Race
Amazon Cloud Slips Amid AI Race: Key Insights and Future Outlook - Boston Consulting Group (BCG) — Consumers Know More About AI Than Businesses Think (2024)
Consumers Know More About AI Than Business Leaders Think
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