The Global AI Index assesses national standing in artificial intelligence through three core pillars: Implementation, Innovation, and Investment. Implementation is broken down by Talent and Infrastructure, focusing on skilled practitioners and the physical foundations of AI like computing power. Innovation examines a nation’s ability to generate new scientific knowledge and apply it practically, measured through research publications and open-source activity.
The Investment pillar gauges commitment to AI through both government strategy and the commercial ecosystem. “Government strategy” specifically looks at planned spending in areas like training and research infrastructure. Meanwhile, the “Commercial ecosystem” pillar focuses on the scale of private investment into AI companies and the overall dynamism of that commercial environment, highlighting funding as a key driver.
The Index itself is composed of 108 indicators sourced from 24 public and private datasets. These indicators are categorized across the three pillars and further broken down into seven sub-pillars, offering a comprehensive assessment of national AI capabilities. Country profiles are available to explore rankings across these specific sub-pillars, providing a granular view of strengths and weaknesses.
AI Investment and Innovation
The Global AI Index assesses national performance across artificial intelligence, composed of 108 indicators from 24 sources. It’s structured around three pillars: Implementation (Talent, Infrastructure, Operating environment), Innovation (Research, Development), and Investment (Government strategy, Commercial ecosystem). The index aims to benchmark nations on their investment, innovation, and implementation of AI, providing a comprehensive overview of their AI capabilities and commitment.
The “Investment” pillar specifically focuses on national commitment to AI through two sub-pillars. “Government strategy” measures planned investments and spending in areas like training, research, and infrastructure. “Commercial ecosystem” assesses the scale of private investment into AI companies and the overall dynamism of the commercial sector supporting AI development. These factors highlight the financial commitment driving AI advancement.
The US currently ranks first overall, also leading in “Talent”, “Infrastructure”, and “Commercial ecosystem”. China is second overall, while Singapore ranks third. The index allows for detailed country profiles, enabling exploration of performance across each of the seven sub-pillars. This granular data reveals specific strengths and weaknesses in each nation’s AI landscape, beyond just the overall ranking.
AI Implementation and Infrastructure
The Global AI Index assesses countries based on three pillars: Implementation, Innovation, and Investment. Implementation is further broken down by “Talent” and “Infrastructure,” focusing on skilled AI practitioners and the physical foundations like computing power and electricity. “Infrastructure” specifically measures the availability of resources necessary for AI development, indicating its importance as a foundational element for AI progress across nations.
Innovation is evaluated through “Research” and “Development.” “Research” gauges the generation of new scientific knowledge in AI, while “Development” assesses the practical application of that knowledge into assets and products. These sub-pillars highlight the importance of both theoretical advancement and practical implementation for a country’s overall AI standing.
The index utilizes 108 indicators from 24 sources, categorizing them across these pillars and sub-pillars. “Government strategy” and “Commercial ecosystem” fall under the Investment pillar, measuring national commitment and private investment in AI. These components demonstrate a comprehensive approach to evaluating a country’s AI capacity, encompassing talent, resources, innovation, and financial support.
“Talent” focuses on the availability of skilled practitioners in artificial intelligence solutions, from top AI research scientists working on the cutting edge of AI to developers and professionals applying AI at a practical level.
