Observer’s 2026 A.I. Power Index: Who Controls the Capital Flow in A.I
Power in artificial intelligence no longer moves through the channels everyone learned to watch.
How A.I.’s Most Powerful Backers Are Preparing for Its Consequences
The same billionaires accelerating A.I. are pouring money into safety research, public-interest tools, health care and economic resilience. Jensen Huang, Dustin Moskovitz, Eric Schmidt and others are spending billions to manage A.I.’s dangers and extend its benefits.
Céline Shen On the Art of Living With A.I.
Her practice imagines artificially intelligent machines and systems not as threats or antagonists but as humanity’s companions in shared ecologies.
Weekly Features
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ArtMeta: When Digital Art Enters the Canon, Tech Millionaires Will Enter the Market
With From Code to Canon, ArtMeta used Art Basel’s Zero 10 to frame digital art not as a niche of screens and NFTs but as a seventy-year history of machines, code, systems, science and artistic invention.
The New A.I. Power Class Will Be Built on Context, Not Compute
Marker Collective’s Andrew Wyatt examines why most enterprise A.I. initiatives still struggle to create measurable business value. Wyatt argues that as models become commoditized, competitive advantage will come from capturing, curating and operationalizing institutional context.
The A.I. Founder Starter Pack: How to Make a Uniform Look Like a Strategy
The men building the future have a uniform, and it costs a fortune to look like it costs nothing. Here is the 2026 kit.
The Flood of A.I.-Generated Images Will Make Human-Made Art More Precious, Not Less
“As A.I.-generated content becomes more common, there will come a moment when we see the opposite reaction: people moving back toward authentic handmade creation.”
Sean Green Built the Gallery World’s First CRM. Now He’s Building Its First A.I. Agents.
He describes ARTERNAL’s approach as “human in the loop,” with people still responsible for oversight, final sign-off and all tasks requiring judgment.
Business
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The Biggest Risk to A.I. in Space Is Sitting on the Ground
Acre Security’s Kumar Sokka explores the next frontier of A.I. infrastructure as orbital data centers move from science fiction toward commercial reality. He contends that the resilience of orbital computing will depend on securing the ground systems that make it usable.
‘The Odyssey”s Early Data Confirms Christopher Nolan’s Star Power
Christopher Nolan’s unmatched star power is turning The Odyssey into a major theatrical event, with audience demand already surging.
UNESCO’s A.I. Report Considers How Technology Can Serve Culture
The organization’s investigation into A.I. and culture frames artificially intelligent technologies as both an opportunity and a threat.
When the Future Came to City Hall: The Forgotten Blueprint for A.I. Governance
MIT Museum’s Michael John Gorman revists the landmark 1976 Cambridge recombinant DNA debate to argue that today’s A.I. governance challenges are less unprecedented than they seem. Gorman contends that democratic deliberation is the missing ingredient in governing transformative technologies.
Artificial Intelligence Is Rewriting the Rules of Art Valuation
Art advisors and insurers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to assess prices, manage risk and bring greater precision to valuations.
Art
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Trophy Collections and Luxury Spending Powered Christie’s and Sotheby’s Record Half-Year Results
Single-owner offerings drove much of this season’s growth, accounting for nearly a third of total auction sales value.
Ron Arad’s Unconstrained Objects and the Mind Behind Them
Bucking the stereotype that says modern design must prioritize form over function, his works achieve an incredible level of artistic innovation without compromising comfort.
Sébastien Borget Is Expanding Digital Art’s Reach Without Softening Its Ambition
With a background in gaming, virtual worlds and Web3, he approaches art from the infrastructure side of digital culture.
Can Magnus Resch’s A.I. App Crack the Art Market’s Transparency Problem?
“No human advisor can continuously monitor the entire art market. A.I. can… It gives people access to information and discovery tools that were previously available only to insiders.”
Faig Ahmed Weaves Azerbaijan’s Past Into Its Future in Venice
For the country’s national pavilion, the artist reimagines the carpet as a living technology, bridging centuries-old craft, mysticism, neuroscience and quantum physics.
Lifestyle
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San Francisco’s Best New Hotels Prove the City Still Knows How to Host
The City by the Bay took its hits during the pandemic, but its latest wave of glamorous boutiques, historic revivals and polished new stays makes a strong case for checking back in.
Where to Find L.A.’s Most Distinctive Omakase Experiences
From Tsukiji-trained chefs and kaiseki menus to wine-paired nigiri and boba-topped bites, these L.A. sushi counters prove omakase has range.
Where to Eat in Silicon Valley, According to the Local Chefs Who Cook There
Local chefs from some of Silicon Valley’s most notable restaurants reveal their favorite South Bay spots, from Vietnamese noodles to fine dining and family-friendly pizza.
Mykonos Beyond the Mayhem: An Insider’s Guide to the Greek Island
The island may be famous for its excess, but regulars know Mykonos is at its best in family-run tavernas, quieter beaches, sharp hotels and long lunches that slip into sunset.
An Insider’s Guide to Putney’s Riverfront London Life
A guide to Putney’s restaurants, pubs, coffee shops and independent stores, from riverfront institutions to side-street neighborhood favorites.
Interviews
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In DATALAND, Refik Anadol Has Built a Museum That Learns From Its Audience
While you watch the artwork, the artwork watches you.
At the Grand Palais, Laure Prouvost Translates Quantum Physics Into Something You Can Feel
“Nous, frissons d’étoiles” turns quantum physics into a poetic, bodily experience that asks visitors to engage with entanglement, uncertainty and the continuity between humans, nature and matter.
Bloomberg CTO Shawn Edwards Is Rebuilding the Terminal Into an A.I. That Can’t Bluff
Shawn Edwards has spent decades building the infrastructure of Wall Street. Now he’s trying to teach it to think—without letting it lie.
At Lisson Gallery, Kelly Akashi Gives Resilience Form
In “Heirloom,” the artist transforms mallow weeds, lace, quartz, Corten steel and cast glass into fragile but forceful meditations on memory, inheritance and regeneration.
The Future Perfect’s Laura Young Makes the Case for Design as the Next Collecting Frontier
She reflects on collectors, craft, functionality and why the sofa should no longer be an afterthought.
Power Lists
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Observer’s 2026 A.I. Power Index: Who Controls the Capital Flow in A.I
Power in artificial intelligence no longer moves through the channels everyone learned to watch.
Observer New Media Power List: Call for Submissions
Nominations are open for Observer’s 2026 New Media Power List
The 50 Most Powerful PR Firms of 2026
This year’s honorees are emblematic of a notable shift in public relations from responsive publicity to proactive leadership in the moments that matter most.
Wall-to-Wall Cultural Capital: Inside Observer’s Art Power Index Party
Under the dim lights of the Lower East Side’s Maison Nur, art world luminaries gathered to celebrate Observer’s Art Power Index—and each other. From the impassioned speeches to the sharp tailoring and Damien Hirst over the bar, the evening embodied our legacy of chronicling power with style.
2025 Nightlife & Dining Power Index
Humanity is still the most vital ingredient in hospitality, and that isn’t changing anytime soon.
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Inside the Art Schools Building Courses Around A.I.’s Creative Potential
As BFA and MFA programs experiment with emerging technologies, they are subtly redefining what it means to train as a contemporary artist.
For Collector Marie-Cécile Zinsou, Building a Museum in Benin Was Just the Beginning
Her unflinching drive has helped shift the general attitude toward the arts in the West African country and create an active scene.
At Sun Valley, A.I. Isn’t the Only Competitive Advantage That Matters
Leadership and talent pipelines experts Tania Lennon and Ric Roi examine why the conversation unfolding at Sun Valley should extend beyond A.I. itself to the future of human expertise.
One Fine Show: “Deep Cuts, Block Printing Across Cultures” at LACMA
With everything from Japanese prayer scrolls printed in 764 to a rare 1906 Brücke Manifesto to Alison Saar’s woodcuts, the exhibition presents block printing as the most underestimated way of making a picture.
The FIFA World Cup and the Rise of Experience Rights
On Location’s Paul Caine explores why the economics of live sports are shifting beyond tickets and media rights toward premium hospitality and immersive experiences. Caine argues that as A.I. makes digital content increasingly abundant, the greatest competitive advantage will come from creating live moments that can’t be replicated.
Sun Valley’s Big Question: What Does Hollywood Need to Buy Next?
At this year’s Sun Valley gathering, the industry’s biggest question is not whether consolidation will continue, but which kinds of assets still create real value.
Curator Samantha Katz and Architect Alan Paukman’s Festival Blueprint for the Post-Spectatorship Era
“Art has been put on a pedestal that makes people feel like it is untouchable, inapproachable. Anything we can do to remove that narrative and invite people into the process in a more participatory and accessible way benefits us all.”
Why Wimbledon Is the Ultimate Test of Trusted Sports Data
Stats Perform’s Louise Beltrame-Bawden explores how Wimbledon demonstrates that the future of A.I. in sport will be defined less by the sophistication of algorithms than by the quality, context and trustworthiness of the data behind them.
At Ebbio, the Parisian Art Consultancy IDA Offers Artists the Luxury of Unstructured Time
Florence Marmiesse and Camilla D’Alfonso’s two-week-long Italian residency prioritizes both research and rest.
Sportradar’s Head of Fan Engagement On Wimbledon, A.I. and the New Economics of Sports Data
While Wimbledon remains synonymous with tradition, the tournament has quietly become a proving ground for A.I.-powered sports data. Patrick Mostboeck, who leads fan engagement at Sportradar, explains why the next battle for tennis will be over the data that shapes how every match is watched, understood and monetized.
A.I. Leaders at Sun Valley 2026—Alongside Old Friends and New Alliances
Allen & Co. allows a small group of journalists to photograph attendees only outside the main venue, as they move about the resort. So we are left to read as much as possible into these images—especially the group shots and sometimes the absence of familiar faces—for clues of friendship, rivalry, complicated alliances and possible business synergies.
The British Cars That Command the Most Reverence—and the Highest Prices
At auction houses around the world, a handful of marques have consistently attracted devoted collectors and record-breaking bids.
