Artificial Intelligence (AI) requires new ways of evaluating national technology use and strategy for African nations. We conduct a survey of existing 'readiness' assessments both for general digital adoption and for AI policy in particular. We conclude that existing global readiness assessments do not fully capture African states' progress in AI readiness and lay the groundwork for how assessments can be better used for the African context. We consider the extent to which these indicators map to the African context and what these indicators miss in capturing African states' on-the-ground work in meeting AI capability. Through case studies of four African nations of diverse geographic and economic dimensions, we identify nuances missed by global assessments and offer high-level policy considerations for how states can best improve their AI readiness standards and prepare their societies to capture the benefits of AI.

The U.S. federal government is the most prepared among 160 nations to use artificial intelligence in the public services they provide, according to a report released this week by London-based consultancy Oxford Insights. The annual report, called the 2021 Government AI Readiness Index, rates countries based on 42 indicators--including software spending and industry investment in emerging technologies--across three pillars: government, technology sector, and data and infrastructure. Buoyed by the unrivaled maturity of its technology sector, the U.S. topped the rankings, followed by Singapore, which topped the government pillar due to its digital capacity. The United Kingdom, Finland and the Netherlands finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively. "Governments stand to gain from the vast applications of recent developments in AI," said Richard Stirling, CEO and co-founder of Oxford Insights. "Those governments who take a strategic approach to harnessing AI within government and promoting their national AI sector are likely to see the greatest benefits.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are forecast to add US$15 trillion to the global economy by 2030. According to the findings of our Index and as might be expected, the governments of countries in the Global North are better placed to take advantage of these gains than those in the Global South. There is a risk, therefore, that countries in the Global South could be left behind by the so-called fourth industrial revolution. Not only will they not reap the potential benefits of AI, but there is also the danger that unequal implementation widens global inequalities. AI has the power to transform the way that governments around the world deliver public services. In turn, this could greatly improve citizens' experiences of government. Governments are already implementing AI in their operations and service delivery, to improve efficiency, save time and money, and deliver better quality public services. In 2017, Oxford Insights created the world's first Government AI Readiness Index, to answer the question: how well placed are national governments to take advantage of the benefits of AI in their operations and delivery of public services? The results sought to capture the current capacity of governments to exploit the innovative potential of AI. The 2019 Government AI Readiness Index, produced with the support of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), sees a development of our methodology, and an expansion of scope to cover all UN countries (from our previous group of OECD members). It scores the governments of 194 countries and territories according to their preparedness to use AI in the delivery of public services. The overall score is comprised of 11 input metrics, grouped under four high-level clusters: governance; infrastructure and data; skills and education; and government and public services. The data is derived from a variety of resources, ranging from our own desk research into AI strategies, to databases such as the number of registered AI startups on Crunchbase, to indices such as the UN eGovernment Development Index. We divided the countries by region, principally following UN groupings, with the chief exception of the Western European and Others Group, which we separated to allow more in-depth analysis of higher scoring governments.

The UK has been knocked from the top spot of a global ranking of countries whose governments are ready to capitalise on artificial intelligence technologies in public services. The UK was narrowly beaten to the number one position by Singapore in this year's Government AI Readiness Index, which the ranking's authors described as a "timely reminder of the ongoing inequality of access to AI". This is the second time the ranking has been produced, with the UK having topped the leaderboard in the first iteration in 2017. Technology consultancy Oxford Insights and the Canadian government-sponsored International Development Research Centre said the 2019 Government AI Readiness Index should prompt governments to "act to ensure that global inequalities are not further entrenched or exacerbated by AI". Unsurprisingly, the upper echelons of the ranking were dominated by higher-income countries with strong economies.

The UK is first in our rankings, reflecting its world-leading centres for AI research and strong technology industry,