Brookings Institution dropped a new report mapping AI readiness across 195 U.S. metro areas. The AI landscape is still dominated by San Francisco and San Jose but sprawling beyond those hubs slowly.
The report scores regions on three pillars: AI talent, innovation infrastructure, and enterprise adoption. Only two metro areas—San Francisco and San Jose—made the “Superstar” cut with top marks across all categories. Meanwhile, 28 “Star Hubs” show strong ecosystems, followed by 14 “Emerging Centers,” 29 “Focused Movers,” 79 “Nascent Adopters,” and 43 lagging “Others.”
The takeaway? AI adoption is rising but still modest and highly localized. Plenty of regions fall behind on talent and innovation but show some adoption activity. 
Brookings urges a two-fold strategy:
- Build a national AI support system.
- Regions design tailored AI growth plans based on their starting points.
For example:
- Superstars should back smaller tech firms, boost local education, and support worker transitions.
- Star Hubs and Emerging Centers need more cluster development and computing resources.
- Focused Movers should leverage signature strengths and ramp up tech transfer.
- Nascent Adopters and Others must spread AI literacy and practical uses while carving AI career paths.
The report warns the gap between AI “frontier” hubs and peripheral regions risks limiting nationwide progress. Without intervention, many areas lose out on talent, innovation, and adoption.
This new data visualization highlights the uneven spread of AI across the country. The Brookings report presses leaders to act fast to spread AI benefits coast to coast.
Explore metro area benchmarks and cluster details in the interactive AI Benchmarking 2025 tool.
