USA tops AI readiness index – Government & civil service news

The USA has been named as the country best prepared to realise the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in public service delivery, topping the 2020 Government AI Readiness Index. Meanwhile Singapore, which led the 2019 list, has fallen to sixth place. The index – compiled by UK-based consultants Oxford Insights and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) – examines how well-placed nations are to take advantage of the benefits of AI in their internal operations and the delivery of public services. This year, 172 countries were reviewed. The ranking measures AI readiness across three criteria: government willingness to adopt AI, and the ability to adapt and innovate to do so; availability of AI expertise and tools from the technology sector; and capabilities in building AI tools, providing them with high-quality data, and building them into public services.