Kenya has emerged as one of the world’s most active adopters of artificial intelligence, with 87% of citizens surveyed using AI at least weekly, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
The figure is well above the global average of 64%, placing Kenya among the highest AI-using populations in the study, even as satisfaction with government digital services softens.
The findings come from BCG’s eighth biennial Digital Government Citizen Survey Report, titled ‘’Citizens Are Open to Public AI Services. Governments Must Seize the Opportunity’’. The survey covered citizens in 44 countries representing 88% of OECD member states and roughly 70% of the world’s population, with African respondents drawn from Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa.
Digital government service adoption in Kenya stands at 49%, against a global average of 38%, one of the highest rates recorded. Net satisfaction with government digital services declined five percentage points since 2024 to 64%, only marginally above the 63% global average.
Just 12% of Kenyan users reported experiencing no issues when interacting with digital government services, the lowest share of any market surveyed and well below the 30% global average, though the figure has improved four percentage points since 2024.
Globally, satisfaction with government digital services has fallen 13 percentage points over the past decade even as AI use accelerates, a gap BCG frames as an opening for governments to modernise service delivery.
“Governments have a rare window to reshape how citizens experience public services,” said Miguel Carrasco, a BCG managing director and senior partner and co-author of the report. “People are increasingly open to AI. But they will judge success by whether services become simpler, faster, and easier to access.”
Kenya ranks among the most AI-optimistic markets in the survey, with 57% of respondents saying AI’s benefits outweigh its risks. AI proficiency is climbing quickly too, with 74% of Kenyan citizens describing themselves as AI-proficient, up eight percentage points from 2024 and above the global average of 63%.
Takeshi Oikawa, managing director and partner at BCG Nairobi, said Kenya’s pace of adoption was raising the bar for service quality. “Kenya stands out for the speed at which citizens have embraced both digital public services and AI,” he said. “However, increased adoption also raises expectations. Citizens are looking for services that are more reliable, easier to navigate and capable of delivering a consistently positive experience.”
Job displacement remains Kenyans’ leading concern around AI in government, cited by 50% of respondents, ahead of worries over decision accuracy at 32% and ethical concerns at 28%. Independent audits were the most requested safeguard, favoured by 41% of Kenyans, ahead of public performance reporting at 38%.
“Citizens are open to greater use of AI in public services, but they also want to see clear accountability,” Oikawa said. “Independent oversight and transparency will be critical to building the trust needed to scale these technologies successfully.”
The Middle East and Africa region recorded the highest comfort globally with direct AI involvement in service delivery, at 78%, and the strongest openness to autonomous AI agents, even as overall global enthusiasm for AI cooled slightly this cycle. Nearly two-thirds of respondents worldwide still want human oversight retained for AI-enabled services, particularly for complex or high-stakes decisions.
BCG said the window for governments to convert public trust into improved outcomes was narrowing. “Standing still is no longer the safe option,” said Dr Lars Littig, a BCG managing director and senior partner and co-author of the report. “Governments have a critical opportunity to use AI to transform public services, but only if they pair innovation with accountability.”
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