2026 in artificial intelligence

The following is a list of events of the year 2026 in artificial intelligence , as well as predicted and scheduled events that have not yet occurred.

Events

January

• 5 January – Samsung Electronics announces plans to double its number of manufactured smartphones with Google Gemini-backed AI features, from 400 million in 2025, to 800 million in 2026. ^[1]
• 6 January – LMArena announces the closing of a $150 million Series A funding round, bringing the company’s post-money valuation to approximately $1.7 billion. The round was led by Felicis and UC Investments (University of California), with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, The House Fund, LDVP, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Laude Ventures. ^[2]
• 9 January – xAI limits use of image generation to paid users following the generation of sexually explicit deepfakes. ^{[3] [4]}
• 10 January – Indonesia blocks access to Grok due to nonconsensual sexualised deepfakes. ^[5]
• 11 January – Malaysia blocks Grok due to nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes. ^[5]
• 16 January - The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) blocks Grok in the Philippines due to nonconsensual sexualised deepfakes. ^[6]
• 21 January - The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) lifts their ban on Grok. ^[7]
• 23 January – Malaysia lifts their ban on Grok. ^[8]

February

• 2 February
  • SpaceX acquires xAI (company). ^[9]
  • Indonesia lifts their ban on Grok. ^[10]
• 3 February – Ofcom launches an investigation into X. ^[11]
• 9 February – OpenAI tests advertisements for ChatGPT in the United States. ^{[12] [13]}
• 13 February – GPT-4o is retired. ^[14]

See also

• Timeline of artificial intelligence

References

1. Jin, Hyunjoo (January 5, 2026). "Exclusive: Samsung to double AI mobile devices to 800 million units this year". Reuters .
2. Wiggers, Kyle (2025-05-21). "LM Arena, the organization behind popular AI leaderboards, lands $100M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
3. Heikkilä, Melissa (January 9, 2026). "Elon Musk's xAI restricts Grok after outcry over sexualised images". Financial Times. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
4. Horton, Helena; Milmo, Dan; Gentleman, Amelia (January 9, 2026). "Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery". The Guardian. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
5. Watkins, Ali (January 11, 2026). "Malaysia and Indonesia Block Access to Grok Because of Sexually Explicit Content" . The New York Times. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
6. Cruz, Raymond Carl Dela (January 16, 2026). "DICT blocks AI Chatbot 'Grok' over sexually explicit deepfakes". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
7. Cruz, Raymond Carl Dela (January 21, 2026). "DICT to lift Grok AI ban after corrective measures". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
8. Baig, Hafsa Naeem (January 23, 2026). "Malaysia lifts ban on Grok AI after X addresses safety concerns". The News International. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
9. Isidore, Chris (February 2, 2026). "Elon Musk's SpaceX acquires xAI, merging his two most ambitious companies". CNN. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
10. Ha, Anthony (February 2, 2026). "Indonesia 'conditionally' lifts ban on Grok". Yahoo News. TechCrunch. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
11. Wootton-Cane, Nicole (February 3, 2026). "UK regulator launches investigation into Elon Musk's X after Grok deepfakes controversy". The Independent. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
12. "OpenAI will put ads in ChatGPT. This opens a new door for dangerous influence". The Conversation. January 23, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
13. Farrant, Theo (February 10, 2026). "ChatGPT will now show you adverts. Here's everything you need to know". Euronews. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
14. Demopoulos, Alaina (2026-02-13). "OpenAI retired its most seductive chatbot – leaving users angry and grieving: 'I can't live like this'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2026-02-14.