Research · MIT Technology Review
Why opinion on AI is so divided
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This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, their weekly newsletter on AI.
Key facts
- Assessing AI’s impact on jobs, 73% of U.S. experts are positive, compared with only 23% of the public, a 50 percentage point gap
- What do experts know that the public doesn’t? (“Experts” here means US-based researchers who took part in AI conferences in 2023 and 2024.)
- But the main takeaway the reporter has from the 2026 AI Index is that the state of AI right now is shot through with inconsistencies
- According to Stanford’s 2026 AI Index, AI is sprinting, and they're struggling to keep up
Summary
In an industry that doesn’t stand still, Stanford’s AI Index, an annual roundup of key results and trends, is a chance to take a breath. (It’s a marathon, not a sprint, after all.) This year’s report, which dropped today, is full of striking stats. There’s also a reminder that the hardware supply chain the AI industry relies on has some major choke points. But the main takeaway the reporter has from the 2026 AI Index is that the state of AI right now is shot through with inconsistencies. Michelle does a great job covering the report’s highlights.