California is among the top states for AI use
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California ranks third in the nation for per-capita AI use, per a new report from Anthropic.
Why it matters: The report sheds light on how people are using AI tools as the state leads the charge in the AI boom.
Driving the news: California's usage of Claude — Anthropic's AI platform — is 2.13 times higher than expected based on its share of the U.S. working-age population, the report found.
- Washington, D.C., leads the nation in AI usage per capita, followed by Utah.
- California accounts for about 25% of Claude usage overall in the U.S., far more than any other state.
State of play: Californians are most frequently using AI to solve computer and math problems, help with basic numerical tasks, and debug code across multiple programming languages.
- Those tasks are also the most distinctive to California, appearing about 3.7 times more than average, which tracks with the state's dominant tech industry and AI job growth.
- While San Francisco is anchoring the AI wave with tech heavyweights and emerging companies, San Diego has also been called out as an "early adopter" of AI compared to other U.S. metros.
The intrigue: Time magazine named Qualcomm president and CEO Cristiano Amon one of the 100 most influential people in AI this year.
- The San Diego-based company has been one of the top AI employers locally and is working to "develop AI software that can scale across industries — including mobile, PCs, vehicles, and smart glasses," Time wrote.
Zoom in: Local universities are preparing students for a labor market with a growing demand for AI skills.
- San Diego State University added the first AI degree to the CSU system, which gave all campuses access to a custom educational ChatGPT this year.
- UC San Diego students can also major in AI, and the University of San Diego has an AI master's degree program.
Reality check: Some industries are embracing AI, which is slashing jobs and causing anxiety for many workers.