AI-related filings on pace to nearly double 2025 levels.
Securities class action filings increased 30% to 121 during the first half of 2026 relative to the prior six months, which coincided with a surge in litigation involving artificial intelligence-related claims and technology companies. A new report released today by Cornerstone Research and the Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Clearinghouse, supplemented with data from Stanford Securities Litigation Analytics, highlights historical and recent filings activity, characteristics, and trends.
The report, Securities Class Action Filings—2026 Midyear Assessment, found that investors filed 15 AI-related securities class action lawsuits during the first half of 2026, putting such filings on pace to nearly double the 2025 total. Meanwhile, cryptocurrency (three filings) is on pace to be the lowest since 2019; there have been no COVID-19 or cybersecurity filings so far this year.
Primarily fueled by AI-related concerns, filings targeting the technology sector increased from nine to 24.
“Data from the first half of 2026 point to several notable shifts in securities class action filings,” said Alexander “Sasha” Aganin, coauthor of the report, Senior Vice President at Cornerstone Research, and cohead of the firm’s finance practices. “Primarily fueled by AI-related concerns, filings targeting the technology sector increased by 15 filings, from nine to 24. At the same time, core federal filings against non-U.S. issuers rose sharply, driven by complaints alleging ‘pump-and-dump’ schemes. Filings against companies headquartered outside the United States are on pace to reach 46 this year, twice that of those filed in 2025.”