Many governments are looking to use AI within their operations and public service delivery. AI is being used with the goal of improving efficiency in the delivery of services, ensuring fairer access to services, and enhancing citizens' experience of services. However, there is a lack of understanding about what foundations are needed for a government to be in the position to integrate AI into services and, beyond that, what it takes for AI to then be used in government effectively and responsibly. The Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index 2022 seeks to address this lack of understanding. For the 181 countries included in the index we ask: how ready is the government to implement AI in the delivery of public services to their citizens?

This story was contributed to TechCabal by Conrad Onyango/bird. African governments are ramping up national strategies on the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a fresh hunt for crucial data that would help improve public service delivery and governance. AI is no longer a preserve of the private sector as Africa's public sector hops on a global trend where governments join the hunt for robust data to transform how they deliver services to an increasingly tech-savvy population. Oxford Insights in its'Government AI Readiness Index 2021,' shows governments across the continent are turning to AI to improve their public services and gain strategic economic advantages. More governments, the report says, are building up AI ecosystems-backed by national strategies to capitalize on a 10-year global boom that has seen private sector firms commercialize AI research and development.

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.

Some of the world's most advanced countries in terms of artificial intelligence (AI) are not prioritising and practicing responsible AI, a report from Oxford Insight and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has warned. In 2019, the Government AI readiness index reported that the UK led the world in terms of government use of AI. But the latest update for 2020 found that while the UK is still a leader on government AI, it lags many other countries in terms of the responsible use of AI. Richard Stirling, CEO of Oxford Insight, said AI was transforming banking and the way governments interact with citizens, but "that transformation is not happening in the same way in every country around the world". The index puts European countries in a strong position for AI adoption.

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 retained its place among the most prepared governments to harness the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence. An index published today, compiled by Oxford Insights in partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada, places the UK as Europe's leading nation and just second on the world stage. "I'm delighted the UK government has been recognised as one of the best in the world in readiness for Artificial Intelligence. AI is already having a positive impact across society – from detecting fraud and diagnosing medical conditions, to helping us discover new music – and we're working hard to make the most of its vast opportunities while managing and mitigating the potential risks. With our newly appointed AI Council, we will boost the growth and use of AI in the UK, by using the knowledge of experts from a range of sectors and encourage dialogue between industry, academia and the public sector, to realise the full potential of data-driven technologies to the economy."