AI Insights
Artificial Intelligence, Today and Tomorrow
Where AI comes from, where it stands today and where it is going. The key concepts, sourced figures and forecasts on one page.
Figures checked in October 2026
What Is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial intelligence is the field of building computer systems that perform tasks which normally need human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognising images and making decisions. Its main fields sit inside one another.
- Artificial intelligence
- Systems that perform tasks which normally need human intelligence.
- Machine learning
- Systems that learn patterns from data instead of following fixed rules.
- Deep learning
- Machine learning with many-layered neural networks, for language, images and sound.
- Generative AI
- Deep learning models that create new text, images, code and audio.
Related fields
- Natural language processing
- Computer vision
- Data science
- Robotics
- Big data
How AI Developed
Seventy years of research, from a question about thinking machines to systems that write, see and act.
- 1950
Alan Turing asks whether machines can think and proposes a test for it.
- 1956
The Dartmouth workshop gives the field its name: artificial intelligence.
- 1997
IBM's Deep Blue defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov.
- 2012
A deep neural network wins the ImageNet image recognition challenge by a wide margin, and deep learning takes off.
- 2016
DeepMind's AlphaGo defeats Lee Sedol, one of the world's best Go players.
- 2017
Google researchers introduce the Transformer, the architecture behind today's language models.
- 2022
ChatGPT brings generative AI to the general public.
- 2024
The EU AI Act, the first comprehensive law on AI, enters into force.
- 2025
AI agents move from demonstrations into everyday business use.
Types of AI
Not all AI is the same. Today's systems are specialised; general and superhuman AI are still research goals.
| Type | What it does | Status | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrow AI | Performs one specific task very well. | In use everywhere | Recommendations, spam filters, image recognition, voice assistants |
| Generative AI | Creates new text, images, code and audio from a prompt. | In wide use since 2022 | Chat assistants, image generators, coding assistants |
| Agentic AI | Plans and carries out multi-step tasks with tools and data. | Early business adoption | Agents that process orders, handle support requests and update systems |
| Artificial general intelligence | Would match human ability across most tasks. | Research goal, does not exist yet | None yet |
| Artificial superintelligence | Would exceed human ability in every field. | Theoretical | None |
AI in Numbers
AI has moved from experiments to daily work in only a few years. These figures come from the most cited annual studies.
- 88%Organizations that use AI in at least one business functionStanford HAI, 2026
- 53%People who adopted generative AI within three years, faster than the PC or the internetStanford HAI, 2026
- $2.7TWorldwide AI spending forecast for 2026Gartner, 2026
- +49.5%Expected growth of worldwide AI spending in 2026Gartner, 2026
- 20%2017
- 58%2019
- 50%2022
- 55%2023
- 78%2024
- 88%2025
Share of surveyed organizations. The 2017 survey counted only use in a core part of the business.
Sources: McKinsey & Company, The state of AI in 2022, and a half decade in review; Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2025; McKinsey & Company, The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation
- 2024$109.1B
- 2025$285.9B
In billions of US dollars.
Sources: Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2025; Stanford HAI, AI Index Report 2026
Where AI Is Used
AI now supports almost every part of a business. These are the areas where it creates value fastest.
Customer service
Assistants answer questions and route requests around the clock.
Sales and marketing
Content, lead scoring and personalised offers at scale.
Software development
Code generation, testing and reviews that speed up delivery.
Finance and accounting
Document entry, reconciliation and reporting with fewer errors.
Operations
Planning, forecasting and supply chains that adapt to demand.
Real estate
Listings, client enquiries and contract workflows handled faster.
Health and science
Image analysis and research support for experts.
Industry and IoT
Sensors, predictive maintenance and quality control.
Where AI Is Going
The next step is AI that acts. Gartner expects agentic AI to become part of everyday software and decisions within a few years.
Enterprise software applications that include agentic AI
- 2024<1%
- 2028 Forecast33%
Day-to-day work decisions made autonomously by agentic AI
- 20240%
- 2028 Forecast≥15%
Source: Gartner, Gartner Predicts Over 40% of Agentic AI Projects Will Be Canceled by End of 2027
- 62%Organizations that are at least experimenting with AI agentsMcKinsey & Company, 2025
- $2.6T – $4.4TValue generative AI could add to the global economy every yearMcKinsey & Company, 2023
- $15.7TPossible contribution of AI to the global economy by 2030PwC, 2017
- 2024233
- 2025362
As AI spreads, so do its failures. Responsible design is part of every system we build. Read our AI Ethics policy
What Riftion Does With AI
We turn these possibilities into systems that run in real businesses. Each of our offers answers a clear need.
- Agentic SystemsAI agents that take over repetitive steps across your tools, with human checkpoints where decisions matter.
- Custom SoftwareSoftware, SaaS products and AI tools built around one business process.
- Digital ExperiencesWebsites, apps, SEO/GEO and UI/UX design that bring customers in and keep them.
- Automation Solution PackagesReady-made automations for business operations, real estate and accounting.
- PlatformsOur own AI platforms for brand screening, website health and venture readiness.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these publications.
- Stanford HAIAI Index Report 20262026
- Stanford HAIAI Index Report 20252025
- McKinsey & CompanyThe state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation2025
- McKinsey & CompanyThe state of AI in 2022, and a half decade in review2022
- McKinsey & CompanyThe economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier2023
- GartnerGartner Forecasts Worldwide AI Spending to Grow 49.5% in 20262026
- GartnerGartner Predicts Over 40% of Agentic AI Projects Will Be Canceled by End of 20272025
- PwCSizing the prize: What's the real value of AI for your business and how can you capitalise?2017