Stanford's AI Index Finds US-China Performance Gap Has Almost Disappeared

Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence has compiled the AI Index since 2017, covering model performance, investment, infrastructure, the environment and employment. The annual report has become an important gauge of global AI competition. Although the United States retains advantages in funding and data centers, China's rapid progress is reshaping technology policy, supply chains and talent strategies.

The institute released the 2026 AI Index on April 16, 2026. As of March, Anthropic's leading model was only 2.7 percentage points ahead of China's best model. US private AI investment totaled $285.9 billion in 2025, 23 times China's $12.4 billion. AI data-center capacity reached 29.6 GW, while employment among software developers aged 22 to 25 fell nearly 20% from 2024.