74.1%
▲ 22.1 pts since 2013
Department of Defense share of US federal AI contract and OTA spending in 2024
20132024
What the chart shows
The Department of Defense funded 74.1% of US federal spending on AI-related contracts and other transaction agreements (OTAs) in 2024. The Department of the Treasury (7.2%) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (5.1%) were a distant second and third.
The Defense Department has had more than half of this spending in every year since 2013 except 2016 (46.5%), with highs of 82.2% in 2014 and 82.1% in 2020. All other agencies together had 13.6% in 2024, led by Health and Human Services (3.6%) and Homeland Security (3.3%).
Key numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Department of Defense, 2024 | 74.1% |
| Department of Defense, 2013 | 51.9% |
| Department of Defense, 2016 (low) | 46.5% |
| Department of the Treasury, 2024 | 7.2% |
| Department of Veterans Affairs, 2024 | 5.1% |
| All other agencies, 2024 | 13.6% |
How to read it
- Shares of each year’s spending on AI-related contracts and OTAs; that spending came to $0.81B in 2024 (related chart).
- “Other” combines NASA, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and the agencies the AI Index groups as other.
- The AI Index text also gives the Department of Defense 73% of contract and OTA spending over 2013–2024; that cumulative share is not in the data file.
Source: AI Index, 2026, via the AI Index Report 2026 (Stanford HAI), figure 8.5.6: Public spending on AI-related contracts + OTAs (% of total) in the United States by funding agency, 2013–24. Chart and text by AI Adoption.
Numbers checked against the published data on 20 October 2026.
Download the data (CSV) · Cite this chart
Numbers checked against the published data on 20 October 2026.
Download the data (CSV) · Cite this chart
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