21.49%. That's how much AI-related hiring grew in Belgium last year, according to Stanford's AI Index 2026. Third fastest growth in the…

The POD

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21.49%. That's how much AI-related hiring grew in Belgium last year, according to Stanford's AI Index 2026. Third fastest growth in the world. Right behind Indonesia and Croatia. Belgium also pulled in $1.2 billion in private AI investment in 2025 — mostly in healthtech and logistics, two sectors where AI pays off fast. And AI adoption among the Belgian population climbed from 33.5% to 36% within a single year, ahead of the US at 28.3%. The headline isn't "Belgium caught up." It's that a small, open economy with a dense network of SMEs and research centers can out-hire much bigger players when it moves fast on talent. What this changes concretely: → The competition for AI talent isn't happening somewhere else. It's happening here, now. → Companies that build real pipelines with universities and research centers get first pick. → Region-scale ecosystems — not just national ones — are where this plays out day to day. That's exactly the kind of dynamic we try to fuel at The POD: connecting companies, researchers and talent in Brabant Wallon before the talent war forces everyone to compete alone. Full report in comments. #brabantWallon #thepod #ecosystem #AI #talent #innovation