OpenAI urges US to lead AI development; Google bets on AI agents in 2026

Greg Brockman, cofounder of OpenAI, in a year-end reflection posted on January 1 on X, said the United States must lead in the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

He added that he and his wife have been actively engaged in political dialogue and have contributed to what he described as “American innovation.”



Among key sectors, Brockman emphasised that AI presents a major opportunity to improve healthcare at scale, particularly in cases involving complex chronic conditions that do not fit neatly into any single speciality.

He also said AI could help make healthcare more affordable, foster scientific thinking, and expand access to quality education.

In another post, the OpenAI cofounder outlined two major AI themes for the year: enterprise AI adoption and scientific acceleration.


While Brockman noted that public discussion over the past year has increasingly focussed on how AI should be integrated into society, he cautioned that “pro-AI does not mean being anti-regulation.”

He emphasised the importance of policy initiatives to address security-related challenges and highlighted America’s focus on infrastructure development, calling for a “growth-focussed mindset” when approaching technology.

Meanwhile, Google also shared in a post on X that AI agents are expected to play a significant role in 2026.


According to the tech giant, AI agents will boost productivity and bring “five-star experiences to life,” referring to highly personalised consumer interactions.

A Canadian telecommunications company, Telus, said more than 57,000 employees now use AI regularly, saving about 40 minutes per interaction. Meanwhile, Suzano, a Brazil-based global leader in pulp production, developed an AI agent using Gemini Pro that converts natural language questions into SQL, cutting query time by 95% for its 50,000 employees.

Google added that AI will become core to business operations, “supercharge” security functions, and drive increased investment in training as organisations work to build an AI-ready workforce.

Citing an example, the company shared that Macquarie Bank provides proactive fraud protection with Google Cloud AI, directing 38% more users towards self-service and reducing false positive alerts by 40%.