2026 Stanford AI Index Report: US-China Model Gap Closed, AI Researcher Brain Drain Down 89%

Stanford AI Index / AI Hub·high signal

Stanford's 2026 AI Index Report reveals the US-China AI model performance gap has effectively closed, AI researcher brain drain to the US dropped 89% since 2017, and 80% of university students now use generative AI. The brain drain reversal is the headline for builders: AI talent is redistributing globally, which will affect hiring markets, open-source contributions, and where frontier research originates over the next 2-3 years.