Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than almost anyone predicted. New models are becoming more powerful, AI tools are spreading across workplaces and classrooms, and governments are struggling to keep pace with regulating a technology that is already reshaping economies, industries and daily life.

Few people are better positioned to make sense of those changes than Yolanda Gil, one of the nation’s leading voices in artificial intelligence and chair of the 2026 AI Index Report. Published by Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), the AI Index Report has become a widely cited, data-driven scorecard tracking developments in AI research, industry, investment, education, public policy and public opinion. This year’s edition, which runs more than 400 pages and distills its conclusions into 10 major findings, offers a clear-eyed assessment of a technology that is rapidly changing our world.

Gil, a principal scientist and senior director for strategic initiatives in artificial intelligence and data science at USC’s Information Sciences Institute, research professor of computer science at USC Viterbi’s Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science in the USC Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, is a former president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and a former member of the National Science Board. She has spent decades exploring how AI can accelerate scientific discovery, improve decision-making and address complex real-world challenges.

Gil spoke about the findings in the 2026 AI Index Report, the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence, and how students can prepare for a rapidly changing future.

What is the importance of the AI Index Report?

The report tracks hundreds of AI indicators across research, industry, investment, education, policy and workforce trends. Policymakers, business leaders, researchers, journalists and governments use it because it provides an objective snapshot grounded on data of where AI stands today and where it’s heading.

In a field that often generates more hype than facts, the AI Index serves as a trusted reference point for understanding the technology’s opportunities, risks and impact.

How is AI changing the world for the better?

One of the most encouraging findings is that AI is already improving people’s work and quality of life in measurable ways.

Healthcare is a good example. AI-powered medical scribes are now widely used to help physicians prepare clinical notes, reducing administrative burdens and allowing doctors to spend more time focusing on patients. In many cases, this improves efficiency while reducing burnout.

More broadly, AI is helping people perform at a higher level. Research increasingly shows that AI can improve the quality of work across a wide range of skill levels, from entry-level employees to highly trained experts. It can help people identify mistakes and uncover information they might have missed and produce better results.

The report warns that responsible AI research is falling behind, with safety efforts lagging. What exactly does that mean?

AI capabilities are advancing incredibly fast, but our ability to measure and manage the impacts and risks isn’t keeping pace. Companies routinely report how well their models perform, but reporting on safety and reliability remains far less consistent.

The bottom line is that we’re getting better at building powerful AI systems than we are at understanding their impacts and risks and putting safeguards in place. That’s one of the biggest challenges facing the field today.

Does AI need to be more tightly regulated?

Perhaps the answer is not necessarily more regulation, but smarter regulation.

AI applications vary enormously. The risks associated with a smart medical device are very different from those associated with a tutoring chatbot, a financial advisor or an autonomous vehicle. Because of those differences, a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to work.

The challenge is creating oversight that protects the public while still encouraging innovation. We already regulate all kinds of technologies differently depending on their risks and uses (nuclear plants versus airplane autopilots), and AI will likely require a similar approach.

AI is boosting productivity in some fields where entry-level employment appears to be declining. What should we think about that?

Technological change has always reshaped the workforce. The internet transformed jobs. Mobile computing transformed jobs. No doubt that these kinds of transformations are happening with AI.

The report shows measurable productivity gains in areas such as software development and customer support. Some studies show how entry-level positions are facing pressure as organizations experiment with automation.

Interestingly, we know that technological change in companies increases the amount of employees they hire. So we can expect extraordinary transformations in the workplace, but also significant expansion. 

How would you advise college students to improve their marketability in this rapidly changing job market?

The key issue isn’t AI itself. It’s the ability to learn and adapt through our lifetimes. Students should focus on developing qualities that help them thrive in periods of rapid change: flexibility, curiosity, creativity and the ability to learn new skills quickly even in completely foreign topics.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about where AI is heading and how it promises to transform the world? 

I’m absolutely optimistic. Public concerns about AI security, misinformation, safety, privacy, and governance and safety are real, and they deserve serious attention. 

But when I look at AI’s potential to advance science, improve healthcare, accelerate discovery and help people work more effectively, I see tremendous opportunity. If we develop it responsibly, AI will improve our world in ways that we cannot even imagine now. And I expect this will happen in our lifetimes, which is an exhilarating prospect. It can become one of the most transformative and beneficial technologies of our time.

AI has already changed the world, and there is no going back. When used thoughtfully, it can help people make better decisions, solve problems more effectively and produce higher-quality work.These changes are so profound that we need to work diligently and relentlessly to understand the impacts of AI, the risks, and the policies necessary to govern this potent technology. And this is why I believe that universities are critical to the future of AI. Our research can improve how AI systems work, help us understand how AI impacts the world, and develop better mechanisms to optimize and spread its benefits to individuals and society. 

Published on July 20th, 2026

Last updated on July 20th, 2026