The development of artificial intelligence has never been as rapid and significant as shown by the annual report published on 7 April 2025 by Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. Now in its eighth year, the AI Index provides a comprehensive overview of global AI developments, covering technical performance, economic impact, education, and regulation. According to the report, the United States continued to lead in AI model development in 2024, though China is rapidly catching up.
The AI Index’s detailed analysis reveals that 2024 saw record-breaking investments in AI. Private investments rose to $109.1 billion in the United States—nearly 12 times China’s $9.3 billion and 24 times the United Kingdom’s $4.5 billion. Generative AI gained particular momentum, attracting $33.9 billion globally, an 18.7% increase from 2023. Corporate AI adoption is also spreading quickly: in 2024, 78% of organisations reported using AI, up from 55% the previous year. Meanwhile, AI performance improved dramatically, with models achieving gains of 18.8, 48.9, and 67.3 percentage points on the MMLU (Massive Multitask Language Understanding), GPQA (Graduate-level Professional Questions & Answers), and SWE-bench (Software Engineering Benchmark) tests, respectively.
The report also highlights the contradictory nature of AI progress. While the technology is becoming more efficient, affordable, and accessible, optimism varies significantly by country. In China (83%), Indonesia (80%), and Thailand (77%), strong majorities believe AI brings more benefits than drawbacks, whereas optimism is notably lower in Canada (40%), the United States (39%), and the Netherlands (36%). In education, a dual trend is evident: while K-12 computer science education is expanding, led by Africa and Latin America, significant disparities in access and readiness persist, with many African countries hindered by a lack of basic infrastructure.
Sources:
1.
2.
stanfordhaisignalgroup.co
3.
Megan Crouse
