AI and Zeitgeist (2026)

I first posted some AI dominance stats in 2024.

It’s now early 2026, and AI is still — if not even more — dominating the zeitgeist. Here are some new stats:

• By 2030, AI will displace around 92 million jobs, but create 170 million new ones.
• AI (still) projects to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.
• Nearly 65% of all companies have adopted AI technology in their daily workflow.
• Global AI investment is (still) forecast to approach $200 billion by 2025.
• The AI industry value is projected to reach over $3 trillion by 2030.
• Over 8 billion AI digital voice assistants are currently in use.
• About 21% of YouTube’s feed is AI-generated video.
• Around 75% of all new online content already contains some level of AI-assisted material.
• A large randomized Swedish trial found AI-supported mammography screening reduced later diagnoses by 12%.
• A widely cited Supreme Court prediction model reported 70.2% accuracy at the case-outcome level and 71.9% at the justice-vote level.
• One group of “smart people” believes that unchecked AI will become a massive existential threat and must be stopped at all costs. Another believes that AI is the solution to all future human problems and must be accelerated at all costs.