Mary Meeker just dropped her annual trends report — this time all about AI. The numbers are staggering.
The fastest growth in tech history
ChatGPT hit 800 million users in 17 months. For comparison, the internet took 23 years to get there. This is the fastest technology adoption in human history.
Costs are falling, capabilities are soaring
The cost of processing a single AI token is racing toward zero, while training costs for the models themselves are ballooning like they're on steroids.
AI is already outsmarting us
AI now works faster and smarter than people. GPT-4.5 is already fooling Turing test judges — 73% mistook it for a human. Image models are producing pictures indistinguishable from real photos.
How AI is reshaping work and education
AI is transforming both education and the job market. In the US, AI-related job postings are up 448%, while regular IT job postings have dropped 9%.
People now spend more time in ChatGPT than in Instagram
People are spending more time in ChatGPT than in Instagram. Usage time is up 202% over 21 months.
Tech giants are pouring in billions
Tech giants are burning through billions. Capital expenditure by the US "Big Six" (Apple, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta) jumped 63% year-over-year, hitting $212 billion.
China is closing the gap with the US in AI
China is nipping at America's heels. The user share of Chinese language models is climbing fast, and China's industrial robots are being deployed faster than America's.
AI is stepping into the real world
AI is moving into the physical world: self-driving taxis, AI cooks at Yum! Brands, banking assistants, and even FDA-approved robot doctors in the US.
The next target: artificial general intelligence
The next target is artificial general intelligence. OpenAI is confident it now knows how to build it. And this is no longer science fiction.
Bottom line: AI is the new internet
AI isn't a trend. It's the new internet. Just faster, cheaper, and a lot smarter. If you're not in the game yet, you're already falling behind. But as with everything — stay cautious!