Title: Stanford HAI 2026 AI Index: China erases US lead, young developer employment drops 20%, AI adopted faster than the internet, and transparency scores plummet across major labs

Stanford HAI just released its 2026 AI Index Report — the annual "state of AI" report card. 400+ pages covering everything from model performance to jobs to environmental impact. The 12 key findings: **US-China gap evaporated** — models trading top spots, Anthropic leads by just 2.7% **$581.7B in global AI investment** — up 130% YoY, US private spending is 23x China's **Young devs getting squeezed** — employ