Analysis: The U.S. economy has become highly dependent on artificial intelligence, with 67% of economic growth in the last quarter driven by AI

Artificial intelligence is driving economic growth in the United States: investments in software and IT equipment contributed +134 basis points to GDP growth in the first quarter of 2026, growing by 2.0%, marking the largest quarterly contribution in history. This means that 67% of economic growth in the previous quarter was driven by artificial intelligence.

In other words, without technology investments driven by artificial intelligence, GDP growth in the first quarter would have been close to flat. This contribution is also about 10 basis points higher than the record set in 1999. Over the past five quarters, investments in software and IT equipment have averaged a contribution of +90 basis points per quarter, setting the highest contribution for any consecutive five quarters on record. The U.S. economy has become highly dependent on artificial intelligence.