Published on October 8, 2026, the ninth edition of the State of AI Report by Nathan Benaich of Air Street Capital identifies a competitive landscape dominated by Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. The analysis utilizes benchmark data from the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, specifically versions v4.1 through v4.3, which prioritize agentic workloads.
According to the report, Anthropic currently leads the Intelligence Index. The study covers developments across research, industry, geopolitics, safety, and policy. It highlights four primary trends: the use of AI in developing new models, advancements in physical AI and robotics, and a significant increase in inference workloads.
The document includes a retrospective assessment of its previous year's predictions. The scorecard for the ten evaluated claims shows two correct predictions, five partial successes, and three misses. The report continues to serve as an annual review of the industry, a tradition maintained since its inception in 2018.
