FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about contributing data, privacy protections, and accessing the benchmarks.
Before You Contribute
What data do I need to submit?
Four required fields: company name, industry, engineering headcount, and total annual AI spend. Optional fields improve the benchmark but aren’t required. The form usually takes a few minutes. Start a submission →
What counts as "AI spend"?
Code assistant licenses (Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, etc.), AI code review and testing tools, AI documentation generation tools, and inference costs tied to development work.
Excludes non-engineering AI, GPU infrastructure, and consulting. See full scope definition
What if I don't know my exact AI spend?
A rough estimate is fine. The confidence field lets you indicate how accurate your figure is, and the benchmark accounts for this.
Can I submit data for a specific business unit?
Yes. Use the optional “reporting unit” field to scope your submission to a specific division or department rather than your whole company.
Do I need to use my work email?
Work email is the default sign-in path, and a personal-email option is also available if you’d prefer not to use it. Disposable email addresses are not accepted.
Privacy & Data Handling
How is my company's identity protected?
Company names are encrypted at rest and are not shown publicly or to other contributors. Project operators can access identifiable submissions for review and operations. Contributors see pseudonymous aliases with bucketed dimensions. The public site shows only the overall distribution. Data Protection Commitment
Who can see my data?
Visibility is limited by role:
- Public — one overall distribution only
- Contributors — pseudonymous rows with bucketed dimensions
- Project operators — identifiable submissions for moderation and operations
- Approved service providers — hosting, authentication, and transactional email delivery only
Company names are not shown to the public or other contributors. Learn more
Can I delete my data?
Yes. Contact the team from the email address you used to submit and request deletion.
Is my data shared with third parties or used for AI training?
Identifiable submitted data is not sold and is not used for AI model training. The service does rely on providers for hosting, authentication, and transactional email, as described in the Privacy Policy and Data Protection Commitment
After You Submit
How long until I get access to the full benchmarks?
Submissions are reviewed by the team. Contributor access and the approval email are sent after an approved submission is released. View your submissions
Can I update or correct my submission?
Yes. Sign in and visit your submission history to revise existing entries or add new fiscal years.
What is the difference between public and contributor views?
The public view shows one overall distribution histogram. Contributors get breakdowns by industry, size, and region, plus a personalized peer comparison.
Trust & Independence
Is this an official Stanford product?
No. The AI Spend Index is an independent research project by Stanford CS researchers. It is not an official university product or endorsement.
Who runs this?
Stanford Computer Science researchers. There are no vendor ties, no consulting revenue, and no commercial incentives. About the project
How do I get approval from my legal/compliance team?
Share the public Data Protection Commitment, Data Use Terms, and Privacy Policy with your internal reviewers.