Rapid progress in AI capabilities is creating pressure on existing governance structures. Developing effective governance systems demands an empirical foundation that, so far, has not kept pace with the technology itself. Policymakers seeking to understand the state of AI development and its societal impact face interlocking challenges of lagging and incomplete data sources and inconsistent disclosure practices. Without reliable, comparable, and regularly updated empirical data, they are left responding reactively to fast-moving developments, rather than proactively designing policy solutions informed by the trajectory of AI progress and its effects on society.
This challenge is compounded by a complex and frequently shifting global landscape. Public sentiment on AI remains mixed, and governments worldwide are actively shaping their policy approaches to AI. The resources and infrastructure needed to meet national ambitions continue to draw attention. These trends mark an AI policy environment that is more dynamic than ever before, making information sharing and cross-border coordination increasingly urgent.
On April 15, join the Brookings Institution’s AI and Emerging Technology Initiative and Stanford’s Institute for Human Centered AI (HAI) for a conversation on the 2026 edition of HAI’s AI Index and what it reveals about the state of AI development, adoption, and impact. The event will feature a presentation by the report’s lead author, followed by a conversation on workforce and economic data featuring Sharat Raghavan, the director of LinkedIn’s Economic Graph Research Institute, Brookings Senior Fellow David Wessel, and AI Index Co-Chair Ray Perrault. A closing panel of experts will dive deeper into emerging trends in critical policy domains, identify gaps and barriers in data reliability, and explore what researchers, policymakers, and companies can do to build a stronger empirical foundation for AI governance.
This event will be open to watch online. Viewers can submit questions via e-mail to [email protected].
Agenda
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April 15
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Welcome & introduction
Elham Tabassi Director - Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development -
Report presentation
Sha Sajadieh AI Index Lead - Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) -
Conversation on economic & workforce data
Ray Perrault Co-Chair, AI Index Steering Committee & Affiliate Fellow - Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Distinguished Computer Scientist - SRI International
Sharat Raghavan Director of Data Science & Director, Economic Graph Research Institute - LinkedIn
David Wessel Director - The Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, Senior Fellow - Economic Studies @davidmwessel -
Panel discussion
Yolanda Gil Professor of Computer Science and Spatial Sciences & Principal Scientist, USC Information Sciences Institute - University of Southern California, Co-Chair, AI Index Steering Committee; Affiliate Fellow - Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)
Elham Tabassi Director - Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development
Russell C. Wald Executive Director - Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) @russellwaldModerator
Sanjay Patnaik Director - Center on Regulation and Markets, Bernard L. Schwartz Chair in Economic Policy Development, Senior Fellow - Economic Studies @sanjay_patnaik
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