Nepal ranked 150th in AI Readiness Index

KATHMANDU: Nepal has been positioned 150th out of 193 countries in the 2023 Government AI Readiness Index. The report, released by Oxford Insights, places the US at the top with a total score of 84.80, followed by Singapore with 81.97.

Nepal's total score stands at 30.77. The Index calculates the total score based on three pillars: the government pillar, the technology sector pillar, and the data and infrastructure pillar. With a total score of 30.77, Nepal has achieved 31.04 in the government pillar, 24.21 in the technology sector pillar, and 37.06 in the data and infrastructure pillar.

In the previous year, 2022, Nepal secured the 139th position out of 181 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index. The total score was 30.75, with Nepal achieving 30.88 in the government pillar, 23.50 in the technology sector pillar, and 37.88 in the data and infrastructure pillar.

In 2022, Afghanistan was at the bottom (181st rank) with a total score of 13.46, while in 2023, the Democratic Republic of Korea was at the bottom (193rd) with a total score of 9.20.

In 2023, India is ranked 40th and China 16th, while in 2022, they were ranked 32nd and 17th respectively.

The three pillars were analysed by setting different dimensions. The government pillar consisted of four dimensions: vision, governance and ethics, digital capacity, and adaptability. The technology sector pillar comprised three dimensions: maturity, innovation capacity, and human capital. The third pillar, data and infrastructure, also included three dimensions: infrastructure, data availability, and data representativeness.

A total of 39 indicators were set for 10 dimensions under the three pillars. The report collected data from various sources, including the OECD AI Policy Observatory, UN IDIR AI policy portal, Global Cybersecurity Index, Worldwide Governance indicators, UN e-Government Survey, Network Readiness Index, International Telecommunications Union, and the World Bank.

The Index has highlighted the developments relating to AI in all sorts of countries, ranging from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to emerging economies to the developed ones.

Persisting global digital divide 

The report's findings reveal, "Half of the AI strategies that have been published or announced originate from low and lower-middle-income countries. The scores in the Data and Infrastructure pillar demonstrate a significant disparity between high and low-income economies, highlighting an existing global digital divide."

In an era where most countries are captivated by the contemporary buzzword, AI, and are endeavouring to both foster and regulate AI irrespective of their capacities, the Index is anticipated to provide pertinent knowledge to governments, private sectors, and researchers.

Oxford Insights is a UK-based organisation that operates at the intersection of technology and government, producing study reports on a global scale.