2026 AI Index Report released

by AIhub

15 April 2026

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Image from AI Index Report. Reproduced under CC BY-ND 4.0 licence.

The ninth edition of the Artificial Intelligence Index Report was published on 13 April 2026. Released on a yearly basis, the aim of the document is to provide readers with accurate, rigorously validated, and globally-sourced data to give insights into the progress of AI and its potential impact on society.

Hear from some of the people behind the report:

The 2026 AI Index Report comprises nine chapters, covering: research and development, technical performance, responsible AI, economy, science, medicine, education, policy and governance, and public opinion.

The report authors have highlighted 10 key takeaways, and these are as follows:

AI capability is accelerating and reaching more people than ever. Model performance continues to improve against benchmarks, and 80% of university students now use generative AI.
The USA-China AI model performance gap has effectively closed. The USA still produces more top-tier AI models and higher-impact patents, while China leads in publication volume, citations, patent output, and industrial robot installations. South Korea has the most AI patents per capita.
The USA hosts the most AI data centres, with the majority of their chips fabricated by one Taiwanese foundry. With 5,427 data centres, the USA hosts 10 times more than any other country, and also consumes the most energy.
AI models can win a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad but cannot reliably tell time. Gemini Deep Think earned a gold medal at IMO, yet the top model reads analogue clocks correctly just 50.1% of the time.
Responsible AI is not keeping pace with AI capability. Recent research has found that improving one responsible AI dimension, such as safety, can degrade another, such as accuracy.
The USA leads in AI investment, but its ability to attract global talent is declining. The number of AI researchers and developers moving to the USA has dropped 89% since 2017, with an 80% decline in the last year alone.
AI adoption is spreading at historic speed. Generative AI reached 53% population adoption within three years, faster than the PC or the internet, though the pace varies by country and correlates strongly with GDP per capita.
Formal education is lagging behind AI, but people are learning AI skills at every stage of life. Over 80% of USA high school and college students now use AI for school-related tasks, but only half of middle and high schools have AI policies in place, and just 6% of teachers say those policies are clear.
AI sovereignty is becoming a defining feature of national policy. National AI strategies are expanding, and state-backed investments in AI supercomputing are rising in parallel.
AI experts and the public have very different perspectives on the technology’s future. 73% of experts expect a positive impact of AI on jobs, compared with just 23% of the public.