By Mohamed A. Hussein
Publication Date: 2026-02-19 09:39:00
BY THE NUMBERS
AI spending is forecast to rise to $2.5 trillion in 2026, dwarfing even the largest science and infrastructure projects.
Global leaders and technology executives will gather in New Delhi for the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, focusing on the role of artificial intelligence in governance, work disruption and global collaboration.
However, behind these discussions lies the financial reality. Over the last decade, AI has attracted one of the largest waves of private investment in modern history, totaling trillions of dollars.
According to Gartner, a US-based business and technology insights company, global spending on AI is expected to reach $2.5 trillion in 2026, up 44 percent from 2025.
To understand the scale of these investments, Al Jazeera visualizes the staggering amounts by comparing them to some of the largest projects ever created by humanity. We also show which countries spend the most on…
