Vietnam climbs 14 places in AI readiness ranking

The Government AI Readiness Index report by British consultancy Oxford Insights measures how ready a country is to use AI in delivering public services to its citizens.

For the first time Vietnam’s AI readiness score (51.82 out of 100) exceeds the global average (47.72).

Among ASEAN member nations, it rose one spot to sixth.

Ly Hoang Tung, deputy head of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s high-tech department, said the rise was due to the issuance of a national strategy for AI development for until 2030.

A country or territory’s AI readiness is measured through three pillars.

The government pillar includes criteria to see whether a government has a strategic vision for how it develops and manages AI, supported by appropriate regulations and attention to ethical problems. It also needs to have strong internal digital capacity, including skills and practices that support its adaptability in the face of new technologies.

The technology pillar includes criteria to see if a government has a good supply of AI tools from the country’s technology sector, which needs to be competitive and dynamic. The sector should also have high innovation capacity and be underpinned by a business environment that supports entrepreneurship and R&D spending. The skills and training of people working in this sector are also crucial.

The data and infrastructure pillar sees if there is enough high-quality data for AI tools to avoid bias and error, and whether it is representative of the citizens of a country. The potential of the data cannot be realized without the infrastructure necessary to power AI tools and deliver them to citizens.

The U.S. ranks first in AI readiness with an overall score of 88.16 thanks to the unrivaled size and maturity of its technology sector, according to the report.

Singapore is second with 82.46 as a result of its institutional strength and government digital capacity.