State of Independent Technology Research 2026drive.google.com/file/d/1HsAOP…The second annual State of Independent Techn...

State of Independent Technology Research 2026drive.google.com/file/d/1HsAOP…The second annual State of Independent Technology Research, published by the Coalition for Independent Technology Research, is out. It draws on their survey of Coalition members conducted in Spring 2026 and on interviews with researchers working across more than a dozen countries. The report tracks the three measures they follow each year, funding, data access, and researcher safety, alongside a spotlight on the issue that now runs through all three—independent AI research. On researcher safety, more than half said their personal safety and security had worsened over the past year, and the sharpest development is the US State Department turning the machinery of foreign policy and immigration against the people who study technology platforms. Additionally, independent scrutiny of AI is getting harder even as hundreds of billions of dollars flow into building the technology, and even as the field itself is drawn ...