Writing a report on the state of AI must feel a lot like building on shifting sands: By the time you hit publish, the whole industry has changed under your feet. But there are still important trends and takeaways in Stanford's 386-page bid to summarize this complex and fast-moving domain. The AI Index, from the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, worked with experts from academia and private industry to collect information and predictions on the matter. As a yearly effort (and by the size of it, you can bet they're already hard at work laying out the next one), this may not be the freshest take on AI, but these periodic broad surveys are important to keep one's finger on the pulse of industry. This year's report includes "new analysis on foundation models, including their geopolitics and training costs, the environmental impact of AI systems, K-12 AI education, and public opinion trends in AI," plus a look at policy in a hundred new countries.

Writing a report on the state of AI must feel a lot like building on shifting sands: By the time you hit publish, the whole industry has changed under your feet. But there are still important trends and takeaways in Stanford's 386-page bid to summarize this complex and fast-moving domain. The AI Index, from the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, worked with experts from academia and private industry to collect information and predictions on the matter. As a yearly effort (and by the size of it, you can bet they're already hard at work laying out the next one), this may not be the freshest take on AI, but these periodic broad surveys are important to keep one's finger on the pulse of industry. This year's report includes "new analysis on foundation models, including their geopolitics and training costs, the environmental impact of AI systems, K-12 AI education, and public opinion trends in AI," plus a look at policy in a hundred new countries.

The AI Index serves as one of the most credible and authoritative sources for data and insights about AI to provide policymakers, researchers, journalists, executives, and the general public a deeper understanding of the field.

Whether it's autonomous vehicles or assistive technology in healthcare that can do things like help the elderly do core tasks like feeding themselves, some of the most challenging problems in the field of robotics involve how robots interact with humans, with all of our many complexities. Drawing from fields as varied as cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics, Stanford computer scientist Dorsa Sadigh is exploring how to train robots to better understand humans – and how to give humans the skills to more seamlessly work with robots. Stanford HAI's mission is to advance AI research, education, policy and practice to improve the human condition.

Much of the U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) discussion revolves around futuristic dreams of both utopia and dystopia. However, it bears remembering that AI is also becoming a real-world economic fact with major implications for national and regional economic development as the U.S. crawls out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on advanced uses of statistics, algorithms, and fast computer processing, AI has become a focal point of U.S. innovation debates. Even more, AI is increasingly viewed as the next great "general purpose technology"--one that has the power to boost the productivity of sector after sector of the economy. All of which is why state and city leaders are increasingly assessing AI for its potential to spur economic growth.

Artificial intelligence carries the promise of making industry more efficient and our lives easier. With that promise, however, also comes the fear of job replacement, hollowing out of the middle class, increased income inequality, and overall dissatisfaction. According to the quarterlyCNBC/SurveyMonkey Workplace Happinesssurvey from October last year,37% of workers between the ages of 18 and 24 are worried about AI eliminating their jobs. But arecent studyfrom two researchers affiliated with the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) challenged this public perception about AI's impact on social welfare. The study found a relationship between AI-related jobs and increases in economic growth, which in return improved the well-being of the society.

When Stanford undergrad Ananya Karthik was a high school freshman, she was curious about technology, but didn't know much about AI before she attended the 2016 Stanford AI4ALL summer program. Six months later, along with two AI4ALL classmates, she co-founded CreAIte, a neural art program targeting students from groups underrepresented in tech fields. Since then, CreAIte has introduced more than 500 girls around the country to coding basics, interdisciplinary technology, and peers who share their interests. Harvard computer science undergrad Catherine Yeo attended Stanford AI4ALL's inaugural program in 2015 as a high school sophomore. She went on to co-found PixelHacks, a hackathon that each year introduces hundreds of girls to tech and AI.

This month we have gathered tweets about some interesting talks, reads, and tutorials relating to AI. As artificial intelligence becomes integrated into daily life, #AI literacy becomes vital. In this @TEDTalks, PhD student and science communicator, @JordanBHarrod, explains how a basic understanding of AI has become a necessary part of everyday life. JAMA Fishbein Fellow, @angeldesaimd, speaks with scientist and entrepreneur Gary Marcus, PhD, about the potential of artificial intelligence in health care and the current #coronavirus #pandemic https://t.co/01GyRbrrOY "We need to measure the well-being impact of COVID-19, and we need to think about scalable mental health care. Now is the time to mobilize resources to make that happen."

Artificial Intelligence has the potential to help us realize our shared dream of a better future for all of humanity, but it will bring with it challenges and opportunities we can't yet foresee. At Stanford HAI, our vision for the future is led by our commitment to studying, guiding and developing human-centered AI technologies and applications. We believe AI should be collaborative, augmentative, and enhancing to human productivity and quality of life. These complement Stanford's tradition of leadership in AI, computer science, engineering and robotics. Our goal is for Stanford HAI to become an interdisciplinary, global hub for AI thinkers, learners, researchers, developers, builders and users from academia, government and industry, as well as leaders and policymakers who want to understand and leverage AI's impact and potential.

Stanford's new Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), an interdisciplinary, global hub for artificial intelligence thinkers, learners, researchers, developers, builders and users, is co-hosting its first HAI resident artist. The residency is a collaboration with Sundance Institute's New Frontier Lab Programs (NFLP), and co-hosts on campus are the Office of the Vice President for the Arts (VPA) and the Stanford Humanities Center. Transmedia artist Stephanie Dinkins pictured with an earlier AI project, the social robot Bina48. Transmedia artist Stephanie Dinkins will be on campus for a residency in the fall, developing her project Not the Only One, a multigenerational memoir of one black American family told from the "mind" of an artificial intelligence entity with an evolving intellect. She will return in April 2020 for a convening of thought-leaders exploring artificial intelligence, automation, machine learning and culture.