Global AI Spending Hits Record $1 Trillion Mark

The world is on track to spend over $1 trillion on artificial intelligence this year, according to Goldman Sachs Research. This investment is expected to reach around 0.9% of global GDP in 2026 and could rise to 1.3% in 2027 and 1.4% in 2028.

The US alone is projected to account for $581 billion of AI investment this year, with American spending rising from 1.8% of GDP in 2026 to 2.5% next year and 2.8% by 2028.

While the money is flowing into AI, the financial rewards are concentrated among companies selling infrastructure, such as hyperscalers and chipmakers. These businesses recorded earnings growth of 54% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, contributing around half of the S&P 500's earnings growth.

However, corporate users of AI are still struggling to see productivity gains and measurable increases in earnings. Only 11% of S&P 500 companies quantified productivity improvements from a specific AI use case, while just 2% put a number on AI's contribution to earnings.