The autonomy of artificial intelligence is demonstrating a significantly faster growth rate than previously expected, moving from doubling every 8 months to doubling every 4.7 months. The exponential growth rate of autonomous duration reached a colossal increase of 1400% year-over-year from the beginning of 2025 to the beginning of 2026, and then increased by another 560% in the first half of 2026 alone.
In 2025, AI autonomy was limited to less than 15 minutes, but by June 2026, AI is capable of operating independently for 4–5 hours without human intervention, representing a staggering increase of 16–20 times. The greatest breakthroughs in capabilities were demonstrated by Mythos Preview (new) and GPT-5.5-Cyber, which in their best attempts approach the completion of all 32 steps, effectively reaching checkpoint M9 (full network capture).
It was noted that after exceeding the threshold of 10 million tokens, older models cease to improve, indicating that increasing computational power does not boost performance. Conversely, the newest models continue to scale sharply, turning greater token consumption into higher task completion rates.
Charts show that AI can now automatically execute complex multi-stage cyberattacks, moving beyond simple web exploits (M5) to advanced persistence (M7), infrastructure compromise (M8), and network control.
The total number of monthly downloads has grown exponentially: from a baseline of 15 thousand in November 2024 to 11.8 million in January 2026 (an approximate growth of 780 times). The share of Action tools has steadily increased, following a very predictable trend. Computer usage constitutes the largest single part of the Actions category, accounting for a substantial 49.6% of the data. The remaining share is distributed among software extensions (9.2%), code execution (4.2%), and other categories such as agent/human interaction (1.5%).
The Perception category, represented by 'Sensors,' occupies a large and stable portion of the upper area of the chart, making up 31.7% of the total share. Reasoning-oriented tools have a minimal footprint, led by Analysis at 2.1%, while Planning and Resource Management remain below 1%. At the end of 2024, Reasoning and Software Extension tools had much larger visual proportions, but they gradually decreased as Computer Usage and Sensor tools scaled up to 2026.
Agents are shifting from observation to active action. At the beginning of the period, most tools supported perception or analysis tasks, such as reading files or querying data. By the end of 2025, download patterns shifted towards tools enabling agents to take direct actions in external systems, such as executing code or using computer tools that facilitate action. These types of tools now constitute the majority of usage, especially those released by recognized companies.
Over the last year, the number of publicly released MCP tools has increased by more than 35 times—from approximately 5,000 to 177,000, accompanied by a significant rise in download activity of over 175 times (from 80,000 to 14 million). AI performance on Humanity’s Last Exam has risen from less than 10% at the end of 2024 to nearly 50% by early 2026, demonstrating consistent, accelerating growth over 18 months. The 50% ceiling on this exam remains insurmountable.
Google and OpenAI are leaders at the forefront. Google (Gemini 3/3.1 series) and OpenAI (GPT-5 series) consistently set the upper limit of performance, providing the highest base scores on the chart. By early 2026, the gap at the edge is narrowing, as Anthropic (Claude Opus 4.7) and Meta AI (Muse Spark) closely follow the leaders in the 35–40% range.
After July 2025, there was a clear structural shift when the new generation of models successfully overcame the persistent 20% performance limitation that constrained previous systems.
AI agents are capable of detecting up to 77% of vulnerabilities in real software systems. However, less than 1% of the vulnerabilities detected using advanced AI scanning have been patched so far. AI-driven vulnerability detection now covers all major operating systems and browsers. Nevertheless, only 12% apply the same security standards to AI-generated code as to traditional code. Approximately 74% of organizations struggle to provide security provenance data for AI code.
44% of companies report security incidents related to third-party dependencies in AI workflows. Over half of developers (59%) express concerns about the security of AI code. 65% of enterprises worry about data leakage when using AI coding assistants. SQL injections and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) remain among the most common flaws in AI code. AI tools do not prevent XSS in 86% of test cases, and log injection vulnerabilities appear in 88% of AI-generated scenarios. AI-utilizing repositories show a higher level of secret leakage (6.4%) compared to non-AI projects.
Java has the highest failure rate, exceeding 71%, making it the riskiest language in this comparison. C# achieves a security pass rate of 58% with 42% failures, indicating a more balanced but still moderate risk profile. JavaScript shows a pass rate of 57% and 43% failures, close to C# in security metrics. Python leads with the highest security pass rate at 62% and the lowest failure rate at 38%, suggesting relatively greater reliability.
AI-generated code has 2.7 times the vulnerability density compared to human-written code. Human-written code demonstrates 30–35% fewer critical flaws during corporate audits. Security testing coverage for AI-generated code is 20–30% lower. AI assistants generate insecure code in over 40% of test scenarios, especially in authentication logic. 56% of developers admit to rarely reviewing AI-generated code line-by-line. 61% of enterprises lack formal policies governing the use of AI code. 38% of organizations report accidental data exposure through AI-generated code. 50% of organizations lack policies for handling sensitive data in AI workflows.
During 2026 security audits, 73% of AI systems showed susceptibility to prompt injection vulnerabilities. Prompt injection attacks succeeded at a rate of 50–84% in common LLM deployments, depending on configuration. Indirect prompt injection attacks had a 20–30% higher success rate because malicious instructions were hidden in trusted sources. Direct prompt injection accounted for about 45% of attacks, while indirect injection accounted for over 55% in 2026. Multi-step indirect prompt injection attacks grew by over 70% year-over-year between 2025 and 2026. Code injections via developer companions accounted for 18% of reported prompt injection incidents in enterprises. Multi-turn conversational manipulation improved attack success to 27% compared to single-prompt attacks. CrowdStrike's 2026 reports documented prompt injection attacks against over 90 organizations.
ChatGPT reached 1 million users in just 5 days (OpenAI). By early 2023, ChatGPT had accumulated over 100 million monthly users, and by 2026, it reaches 900 million weekly active users. ChatGPT once held the record for the fastest-growing consumer application, reaching 100 million users in about two months. However, DeepSeek broke this record in early 2025, surpassing 100 million users in just 20 days after the launch of the DeepSeek-R1 application.
1.8% of all job postings in the US are now related to the AI sector. The service sector has become the largest revenue generator for AI, accounting for 36.3% of the total volume in 2025. Regarding specific technologies, deep learning proved to be the most profitable AI area, accounting for slightly over a quarter of the entire industry revenue. AI technologies could increase revenue by more than $15 trillion by the end of the decade.
By continent, North America holds the largest share of revenue, accounting for 35.5% of the total industry volume. It is projected that AI will contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. By 2025, AI may eliminate 85 million jobs but create 97 million new ones, leading to a net gain of 12 million jobs. 63% of organizations plan to implement AI globally within the next three years. Autonomous vehicles could bring $300 to $400 billion in global revenue. About two-thirds of healthcare workers now use computer systems to assist in diagnosis. The FDA has approved over 1200 'AI-enabled' medical devices (FDA).
SpaceX failed in its attempt to launch the Starship rocket into orbit on Thursday (the 16th). A malfunction occurred during the launch that was not detected at the time.
A few minutes after the issue arose, Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, announced on the social network X that the cause was the improper functioning of some engines, which led to the automatic termination of the flight. He also specified that the SpaceX team is unloading fuel, and the next launch attempt is scheduled 'in a few days.'
Astronomers have announced a historic achievement—the first direct detection of an atmosphere around a rocky planet located within its star's habitable zone. This breakthrough marks a significant step forward in the search for worlds potentially capable of supporting life.
The planet, named LHS 1140 b, is located approximately 48 light-years from Earth. According to the results of the new study, its atmosphere contains helium. In addition to being the first rocky planet with a directly detected atmosphere, it is also the first of its kind found in the so-called habitable zone—the region around a star where temperatures could allow for liquid water on the surface.
Researchers assert that among known exoplanets, LHS 1140 b possesses the greatest number of habitability indicators. The study's lead author, Collin Cherubim, told Space.com that the direct detection of helium in the atmosphere is unprecedented for rocky exoplanets, and its location in the habitable zone adds immense interest for astrobiology and the search for life.
LHS 1140 b is an exoplanet, meaning a planet outside our solar system. It was initially discovered by astronomer Jason Dittman's team in 2017, and he is also involved in the current research. According to Dittman, years of observation were required for scientists to confirm the presence of an atmosphere.
He noted that although the planet was found about ten years ago, the conclusion regarding the atmosphere was only reached now. Dittman emphasized that the planet has a solid surface and is composed of rock. Although the exact nature of this surface is not yet known, the team considers the presence of water on the planet highly probable.
LHS 1140 b orbits a red dwarf—a star smaller and cooler than the Sun. Despite the planet being significantly closer to its star than Earth is to the Sun, this distance is sufficient to maintain temperatures compatible with the 'Goldilocks zone,' which is considered suitable for the existence of liquid water. Researchers believe that the recently discovered atmosphere may help preserve these conditions.
Cherubim hypothesized that the planet likely contains a lot of water. He added that if the atmosphere provides a greenhouse effect, then the conditions we consider habitable on Earth are likely to exist there and could support liquid water.
Although LHS 1140 b is not an exact copy of Earth, researchers point out two similarities: its composition is a rocky planet, likely with an iron core, and it is now known to have an atmosphere; and its temperature is suitable for liquid water on the surface, which is one of the key requirements for life as we know it on Earth.
Among over six thousand identified exoplanets, the direct confirmation of an atmosphere on a rocky planet in the habitable zone is a unique moment. One of the main challenges is that LHS 1140 b orbits a red dwarf—the most common type of star in the Milky Way, which is about one-third the size of the Sun. These stars remain active for a long time, emitting powerful bursts of radiation, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Typically, such radiation completely destroys the atmospheres of nearby planets, which raised doubts about the ability of rocky planets around red dwarfs to retain an atmosphere over long periods.
Cherubim noted that this discovery demonstrates that at least this rocky planet has managed to retain its atmosphere for billions of years, which is a 'well-founded and reliable way to say yes: atmospheres can survive on rocky exoplanets.' Scientists also suggest that other gases besides helium might be present in the atmosphere, some of which may have been lost in the past due to intense stellar radiation. However, since the star is about six billion years old—several billion years older than the phase of this intense activity—the team believes the planet will continue to retain its atmosphere. Dittman mentioned that while some helium slowly escapes into space, a similar process occurs with Earth's own atmosphere.
The confirmation of the atmosphere resulted from a theoretical prediction developed by Collin Cherubim during his doctoral dissertation. He explained that it all started with a mathematical model created to study the evolution of rocky planets, from which he made a very specific prediction about this planet.
The researcher decided to apply a method usually used to study gas giants to a rocky planet, which was an unprecedented step. The results fully aligned with his model prediction, allowing the scientific method cycle to be completed.
To test the hypothesis, the team used the Warm Infrared Echelle Spectrograph (WINERED), installed at the Magellan Observatory in Chile. During the same observations, they tracked the transit of LHS 1140 b and another planet in front of its star. Spectroscopic analysis allowed them to identify chemical signatures in the atmospheres of both worlds. While one did not yield results, LHS 1140 b demonstrated a direct and undeniable signal of helium's presence.
Despite the importance of the finding, researchers emphasize that it does not mean the planet is habitable. Cherubim clarified that he is not claiming there is life on the planet. In the team's view, future observations will allow for the detection of other gases in the atmosphere and the verification of water. Although new research may not confirm habitability or discover life forms, it will significantly expand knowledge about rocky planets of this type. Since LHS 1140 b is the first planet with these characteristics whose atmosphere has been confirmed, it represents an important step toward understanding the evolution of potentially habitable planets and may help answer one of humanity's oldest questions: are we alone in the Universe?
India's private space sector is preparing for significant steps as the startup Skyroot Aerospace is about to become the first private company in the country to design and develop its own orbital rocket on Indian territory.
Following the successful launch of the first private suborbital rocket, Vikram-S, to an altitude of 89.5 km in 2022, the Hyderabad-based company is ready to conduct its first orbital launch. The launch of the Vikram-1 rocket is scheduled for Saturday; it is named after Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space program. According to a statement from Skyroot Aerospace on Thursday, the flight is set for 11:30 AM from the first launch pad in Sriharikota.
The Vikram-1 is entirely constructed from a lightweight carbon composite structure and is equipped with three solid-fuel stages and a liquid orbital correction module. This launch is part of the 'Aagaman Mission' and involves delivering demonstration payloads from companies Grahaa Space, Cosmoserve, DCubed, and Skyroot's own development, SCOPE. Additionally, the artwork 'Cosmic Bloom' by Cosmos Diamonds will be sent into space, along with micro-sculptures of Sir C. V. Raman, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, and Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, crafted from 18-karat gold.
The mission is designed to place payloads weighing up to 350 kg into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 450 km with a 60-degree inclination. The Vikram-1 rocket has already been integrated and placed on the pad, and final checks of the integrated vehicle have been completed at the Skyroot Mission Control Center. Checks of interfaces with ground telemetry stations and tracking radars were also conducted before the test flight.
Pawan Kumar Chandana, Founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace, noted that Vikram-1 continues the work started with the company's first private rocket demonstration in 2022. He emphasized: 'This is our first test flight, and we will gain valuable data. It is the first rocket to fly into orbit, built entirely from carbon composite. Carbon fiber is five times lighter than the strongest steel, making the rocket lighter and more efficient.'
Naga Bharat Daka, Co-founder and COO of Skyroot, stated that the company was founded about eight years ago with the goal of creating affordable and reliable rockets from India for the world, as well as providing on-demand launch solutions. He added: 'All our efforts and the team's efforts culminate today in this historic milestone.'
