331 S&P 500 companies mention AI on Q2 2026 earnings calls

If you played a drinking game every time a CEO said “AI” on an earnings call this quarter, you’d need a new liver by mid-July. A FactSet analysis covering June 15 through September 14 found that 331 out of 493 S&P 500 earnings calls mentioned artificial intelligence, meaning 67% of America’s largest public companies felt compelled to talk about it. That’s not just a lot of buzzword-dropping. It’s the third consecutive quarter where AI mentions exceeded the 65% threshold. The numbers behind the AI obsession To appreciate how quickly this shifted, consider the historical baseline. The five-year average for AI mentions in S&P 500 earnings calls sits at 178. The ten-year average is just 114. At 331 mentions, the current quarter nearly doubles the five-year norm and triples the decade-long average. The previous quarter, Q1 2026, actually saw slightly more mentions at 337. Sector breakdown tells a predictable story with a few surprises. Information Technology led the pack with 72 calls mentioning AI, which translates to 97% of the sector. Financials came in second with 67 mentions, covering 91% of the sector. Communication Services hit 90%, rounding out the top three sectors. The...