The new Stanford HAI report captures the acceleration of AI.
The Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2026 by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI highlights an unprecedented acceleration in the development of artificial intelligence, with models reaching top-level performance across numerous complex tasks and an ever wider uptake among businesses and users, at a pace of growth without precedent when compared with that of the internet and the personal computer. The adoption of generative AI has surpassed 50% of the population within just a few years, while AI is now present in the vast majority of organisations. This growth is being driven by a sharp increase in investment and by the central role of industrial players, which are developing almost all of the most advanced models. At the same time, the report points to an increasingly balanced global competition, with the performance gap between the United States and China gradually narrowing. The report also provides an in-depth analysis of the impact of AI on the labour market and warns about the ability of economic and institutional systems to govern the effects of a phenomenon evolving at such an accelerated pace.
Author: Stanford University, Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
Publisher: Stanford University
Publication date: April 2026