This page compiles quarterly AI venture-funding data from the major trackers — Crunchbase, CB Insights, PitchBook, and the PitchBook/NVCA Venture Monitor — which use different methodologies and report somewhat different totals.
The AI Behavior Index is the research arm of OneChat AI, an integrated multi-model AI platform. We compile and analyze data from primary research sources to make AI adoption and market trends more accessible to journalists, researchers, and decision-makers.
Why funding figures vary between sources: Crunchbase, CB Insights, and PitchBook define “AI” and count deals differently, so Q1 2026 totals range from ~$285B (CB Insights) to ~$300B (Crunchbase), and AI’s share ranges ~63–81%. We present the ranges rather than a single number. The most important analytical point — that records were driven by a few mega-rounds while deal counts fell — is consistent across all providers.
Methodology notes: quarterly totals and AI-share figures differ by provider due to definitional and timing differences (database backfilling can raise past quarters retroactively). “AI’s share” depends on how broadly AI is defined (pure-play labs vs. AI-adjacent). Mega-rounds distort quarterly comparisons — excluding OpenAI’s $122B round still leaves a record quarter (~$163.5B, CB Insights), which we note. Deal-count and dollar-volume trends can move in opposite directions, so we report both to avoid the “record funding = broad boom” misread.
Sources used on this page:
- Crunchbase — Record AI Funding Q1 2026 (global totals; AI share)
- PitchBook — Q1 2026 AI Funding 2026 (concentration; three-deal share)
- CB Insights — State of Venture 2025 (full-year context; deal-count decline)
- Angel Investors Network — What $300B Really Means 2026 (barbell analysis)
Corrections or suggestions: research@aibehaviorindex.org