A record 241 companies within the S&P 500 have mentioned the term 'AI' during their earnings calls for the fourth quarter of 2024, marking the highest count in the past decade. The Information Technology sector leads this trend, with 93% of its companies citing 'AI'. Additionally, 9 out of 11 sectors experienced a quarter-over-quarter increase in the number of companies referencing 'AI', with the Health Care sector showing the most significant rise, up by 7 companies. In terms of earnings guidance, 65 S&P 500 companies have issued negative EPS guidance for the first quarter of 2025, exceeding both the five-year average of 56 and the ten-year average of 62. Analysts have also reduced Q1 EPS estimates for S&P 500 companies by 3.8% since the end of December, surpassing the ten-year average decline of 3.2%. The S&P 500 is projected to report year-over-year earnings growth of 7.1% for Q1 2025, which is lower than the previous estimate of 11.6% as of December 31, and revenue growth is expected to be 4.2%, down from 5.1%.