Methodology and sources
Each indicator is chosen because it informs a budget, timing or risk decision, and only where a reliable, repeatable public source exists.
How figures are collected
- Figures come from public statistical agencies, regulatory filings, open research datasets and named surveys. Each indicator page names its source, licence and update frequency.
- Every reading is dated by the period it describes. When a source has not published since the last update, the indicator keeps its last value and says when it was published.
- History is kept as published: an earlier figure is never overwritten. If a source revises a figure, the correction is added and noted.
- An unusually large change from one reading to the next is published only when a second, independent source confirms it.
- Sector figures use each survey's own sector names, matched to the closest industry in the rest of The Executive AI Brief.
What the labels mean
- Act now. The figure points to a decision most enterprise leaders should take this quarter.
- Evaluate. The figure should change a plan or a business case under review.
- Monitor. The figure is moving, but the decision it informs is not due yet.
The indicators
Adoption and spend
- Share of US businesses using AI: every two weeks.
- Share of US businesses expecting to use AI in the next six months: every two weeks.
- Share of EU enterprises using AI: annual.
- Share of large EU enterprises using AI: annual.
- Share of organizations using AI in at least one business function: annual.
- AI infrastructure spending by the largest cloud providers: quarterly.
Capability and cost
- Capability of the best AI model (Epoch Capabilities Index): when new models are scored.
- Capability gap between the best closed and the best open-weight AI models: when new models are scored.
- Length of tasks the best AI agents can complete: when new models are measured.
- Cheapest price for near-frontier AI: every run.
Talent and workforce
- Share of US job postings that mention AI: monthly.
Risk and regulation
Sources
- US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey · Public domain (US government work)
- Eurostat, ICT usage in enterprises · CC BY 4.0
- Stanford HAI, AI Index Report · Quoted with attribution
- US Securities and Exchange Commission, XBRL financial data · Public (SEC filings)
- Epoch AI, Capabilities and benchmarking · CC BY 4.0
- OpenRouter model list prices · Provider list prices, attributed
- Indeed Hiring Lab, AI Tracker · CC BY 4.0
- US Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR full-text search · Public (SEC filings)
Reuse and corrections
Our compilation is open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse it with attribution to Enterprise AI in Numbers. Each figure remains subject to its original source's terms. To report an error, send a message on LinkedIn; corrections are added to the indicator's history with a note.